Chase The Dark Together
by thewinchestergospel
Summary: Ella and Oshea Blackwood are two hunters from Scotland. When they travel to the U.S. to investigate strange disappearances, they meet Sam and Dean Winchesters, and all of their futures are altered forever. Prequel to What If This Storm Ends.
1. Desperate Dreams

_**A/N: This is a Supernatural story written by both myself and my friend Lauren. It started off as any other of our stories, but we never imagined we would actually finish it, and then continue it as sort of a series. Usually we grow bored of stories we work on, and then just stop and start something else… but this one we've decided to stick with it until we run out of ideas.**_

_**Before you say anything, yes, this story involves two sisters that are hunters. Cliché, I know, but hey, it's our story, and we are proud of how much we have written on this.**_

_**FYI, the first four chapters are how the Blackwood sisters meet the Winchester brothers. After that, the story becomes sort of a spin off of the end of the second season of the show. Much of those parts are copied pretty much word for word, except for when we changed things around for our chars. After the ninth chapter, the story gets back to normal. There are a couple of places here and there where we copied things directly from certain episodes, because it is important for our storyline, but the majority of the story is our own creation, obviously. **_

_**Due to the eighty something chapters (homg insane right?) we have so far and counting, I will be posting chapters a couple at a time every weekend (well, every weekend that I have internet) so that you guys will have time to start reading it, and also for a little bit of suspense. **_

_**So, to wrap things up. Hunters that are sisters, they meet the Winchesters: chaos, romance, and comedy ensues. Spin off from the second season. Enjoy!**_

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

It was mid-April, and on the sandy beaches of anywhere on the east or west coast, you would find young adults everywhere, spending their spring break partying, laying out on their multicolored towels in the sun, and playing around in the ocean.

Jason Gilmore was sitting on the sand, wearing only a pair of khaki shorts and flip flops, drinking a soda as he took a time out from volleyball, watching his friends play instead.

The waves crashed against the shore, spilling over the sand and depositing pieces of shells and strips of green kelp that resembled tendrils of hair onto the damp sand. The volleyball was spiked by one of the over zealous boys and it bounced on the packed sand before rolling into the pale foam of the waves. One of the boys cursed and pointed a tanned finger toward the ball that was bobbing in the shallow water. "Jason! Jason, get it!"

The ball was floating toward a group of large rocks that were protruding out of the ocean. Upon the rocks, there was a slender female wearing a pale loose dress that resembled a nightgown. One of its thin straps had slipped over her bare pale shoulder and her wet black hair was spilling like ink about her face. The gown was bunched just below her hips and spread across the rock, exposing her long, slender legs. Her ample breasts were nearly spilling over the lowly swooping neckline of the garment and she was bent forward just slightly, her black eyes focused on the ball as it drifted closer and closer toward her feet, which were dangling over the edge of the rock into the shallow water.

Jason rolled his eyes at his friends, reluctantly standing up from the towel and stepping across the sand. He broke into a slow jog as he approached the shore and looked out to see the young woman. He waved an arm to get her attention. The woman lifted her eyes and looked at him, her full lips turning in

a smile as she lifted her hand and gave a small wave to him. She looked down at the ball that was floating near her feet and reached down for it, scooping it out of the foaming ocean. Smiling, she looked back up to Jason and held the ball in his direction. "Is this yours?"

Jason chuckled, kicking his flip flops aside and then stepping into the shallow part of the water with his bare feet. "Yeah, that's mine," He smiled.

The female grinned and beckoned to him with one hand. "Come closer and I'll give it to you." She said over the soft crashing of the waves. When he came close enough, the woman stepped off of the rock into the water, which came up to their hips. Smirking, she took a step backward into the deeper water. "Just a little closer." She said playfully, holding out the ball toward him.

Jason arched a brow and smirked. "Alright then," he winked, taking a couple steps before her, wading in the water as it grew deeper the further he walked.

The woman continued to drift backwards until the water was up to their chests. She then allowed him to catch her and gave a soft, musical laugh when his arms circled around her. Dropping the ball, she took his hand and smiled sweetly before sharply yanking him down beneath the water.

At first he thought it was just a game, just a part of the young woman's idea of flirting, but when she pulled him deeper, and he couldn't pull free, he realized this was no longer fun. He struggled to get away, but she pulled him further down and towards the deeper waters of the ocean.

SCOTLAND

Oshea Blackwood's eyes rolled back slightly into her head as her lashes fluttered over them. It was as if she were the one drowning instead of the young man. She could smell the salt, could feel it burning her nose and the back of her throat. It was raining outside and the water was pattering against the windows of the old castle where she and her sister lived. Sweat was beading on her forehead as she convulsed on the bed. Ella Blackwood was roaming the halls of the castle when she heard something that sounded like a struggle from inside her younger sister's room. She quickly pulled out the blade from her back pocket and stormed into the bedroom, only to see that her sister was alone. She dropped the knife and appeared quickly by her bed. "What is it, sis? What do you see?"

Oshea grunted and gagged, closing her eyes tightly as she fought to speak. She knew that she wasn't really drowning, but the visions were always so real and vivid that sometimes she forgot she was simply seeing what was happening to someone else. "The ocean," She coughed out. "The waves are crashing above me... the sunlight is filtering through the water. There's a boy in the water, he's drowning." Tears gathered in her eyes and began to ease down her cheeks; it was all so familiar. Just like their little brother. "He... the boy is...struggling... he's so scared. Someone is pulling him down."

Ella looked at her sister with worry, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you see what's pulling him down? What else do you see?" She hated that her sister had to go through this.

Oshea took in a few shallow breaths. "Oh god... Ella...," She groaned and coughed, writhing on the bed. "It's her... it's the same one who took Christopher." Abruptly, she jerked up into a sitting position, taking in a sharp breath and gasping. The vision was gone and once more all she could see was darkness. "He's dead... she killed him..." She said, beginning to sob softly, her shoulders trembling.

Ella held her for a moment, and then pulled her away, looking at her tear stained face. "Could you tell where it was?"

Oshea clung to her sibling for a moment before nodding slowly. "Um...," She brought one of her hands up to her very pale eyes and brushed some of her tears away. "South Carolina... the United States."

She said quietly. "He had a hotel keycard in his pocket... Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He was staying at a place called the Sea Mist Hotel."

The older sibling sighed. "I guess we're going to South Carolina, then."


	2. Soak Up The Sun

_**MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA**_

Sam Winchester yawned as he lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes with the pads of his middle finger and thumb. Letting his hand fall back down to his side, he looked through the window up and down the beach, which was empty save for a few couples walking hand in hand along the shadowy sand. The sun had just risen and was hanging just above the water like a great ripe orange; it reflected gold against the surface of the ocean, and Sam nodded. "Good. There's not many people out here, we'll be able to do some searching in privacy. The latest victim supposedly disappeared in those rocks over there while he was trying to get back a lost volleyball." He said, pointing toward a group of rocks protruding from the ocean.

Dean was laying on his bed, propped up against the headboard. He frowned a bit. "You drag me all the way out here to investigate a couple of disappearances, to a spot where young, hot, bikini wearing college chicks are spring breaking, make me get up early, and now you're telling me there are no babes out there that I can talk to?" He rolled his eyes, "Party pooper..." He mumbled.

"This is the only time of day that we can have the beach to ourselves to look around." Sam said with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned his back against the wall. "Now get up, we need to check the site to see if we can find anything." He pushed off from the wall, smacking the foot of Dean's bed as he crossed to the hotel's small kitchen and plucked out a piece of toast from the toaster. "Your breakfast is going to get cold if you don't hurry." He said, indicating the second slice of toast.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean grumbled, reluctantly dragging himself off the bed and grabbing the second slice of toast. He took a few bites before setting it down on the counter. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his duffle bag and then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

"Don't take too long in there!" Sam called, eyeing the half eaten toast as Dean disappeared into the bathroom. "If it gets too light outside, people are going to start showing up." He looked toward the bathroom door then back down at the toast before grabbing it and quickly cramming it into his mouth. He had already showered and dressed in a black wifebeater and dark denim jeans. Brushing off the crumbs from his shirt, he swallowed down the stolen toast and checked their bag of weapons. "Do you think we should take something with us? In case we see something?"

Dean thought for a moment, "Uh, yeah." He turned on the knob in the shower and got inside. A few minutes later he got out, dried himself off, and changed into a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and walked out of the bathroom into the living area, running a hand through his short, damp hair.

Sam nodded and zipped up the duffel bag full of their weapons, slipping the strap over his shoulder. "Alright. I'll just take it all with us. There's no telling what could be out there. According to what

I've heard, the guy's friends said that he just disappeared. He was wading through the water one minute and the next, he was gone. He was a good swimmer, too, part of the team back at his school. That's another thing, all of the victims so far have been males or kids about ten and younger."

"I doubt we'll need all that," The elder Winchester brother said, gesturing to the bag with an eye raised. "Besides, we can keep an eye on the area today, and come back later tonight when no one can be witness to us blasting the thing full of rocksalt."

Sam hesitated, glancing down at the bag then sat it down on the foot of his bed and unzipped it, pulling out one revolver and pushing it into the back waistband of his jeans before covering it with his sleeveless shirt. "I'm not going unprepared." He said as he zipped the bag back up and dropped it down beneath his bed, kicking it underneath it. He stepped toward the door with a nod. "Let's go."

After a few minutes of walking through the parking lot of the hotel, they reached the sandy shores of Myrtle Beach. Spotting a decent sized concession stand next to the outdoor pool, Dean stopped for a moment, taking a few steps back, and examining the lit up "$2 HOT DOGS!" sign that hung overhead the register . He arched a brow, pulled out his wallet, which held one of his many fake credit cards, fake ID, and a total of $5. A few moments later he caught up with Sam, a hot dog in each hand. He nudged Sam in the arm, gesturing to the hot dog with a nod. "Here." After Sam took the food, Dean grinned before taking a bite of his own. "Man, this is great," He said, with his mouth full.

Sam had continued walking and had been talking about something case related when he turned and saw that Dean was gone. "Dean?" His brows furrowed and he stood on the tips of his toes, looking back and rolling his eyes when he saw the concession stand. He dropped back down and shook his head. "Is food all that you think about?" He asked, arching a brow. He still took the hotdog though and took a bite of it, nodding. "This is really good though."

They finished off their hot dogs and walked around on the beach, which was slowly becoming a little more crowded as time passed. Sam frowned as he waded out from the water where he had been looking at the rocks the boy was last seen on. "There's nothing there." He said, combing his fingers through his shaggy dark hair. "At least not that I could see. Maybe we could rent some scuba gear and look closer to the bottom."

Just a little further up on the beach, a young woman was laying across a black towel. Her thick red hair fell over her exposed shoulders and a pair of dark sunglasses were pressed over her eyes. Her skin was sprinkled all over with freckles. She wore a black bikini and a see through dark green wrap about her hips. There was a dark tattoo on the left side of her chest just under her collarbone.

Next to her was another young woman, sitting up on a black towel as well, her long, pale legs stretched out in front of her. Her toenails and fingernails were painted a deep shade of purple, and a pair of similar shades covered her bright green eyes. Her short, choppy dark brown hair barely reached her shoulders. She was wearing a dark purple two piece swimsuit, and had a matching tattoo, but instead of it being on her chest, it was located on the back of her shoulder bone. She tilted her head down and peered out from above the shades at the water.

The red head eased herself up onto her elbows and inclined her head, her brows furrowing. "Did you hear that?" She said softly. "They're talking about getting scuba gear to go down at the site of the disappearance." She might not have been able to see the two young men that were poking around, but her lack of sight meant that her other senses were heightened, and she could hear them clearly over the hum

of conversation and laughter. "I wonder who they are..."

Ella continued to peer over her sunglasses and she watched the men carefully. "They're going to get themselves killed..." she mumbled.

Oshea pushed herself up the rest of the way into a sitting position. "They might be friends of the boy who was taken... or be involved somehow." Her voice trailed off a moment then she stood to her feet.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. We might be able to get some information from them. Or at the very least stop them from being the next victims."

Ella pushed her sunglasses back onto her nose. "Well I suppose we're going to have to anyway, they're headed this way," She said, her voice low as the two brothers slowly approached them.

Oshea remained standing as the two approached, turning to face them. The younger of the two smiled and gave a little wave. "Hello, ladies. I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean."

Oshea smiled and nodded. "I'm Oshea and this is Ella." She said, giving a little jerk of her head toward Ella.

"That's an interesting accent. Are you both here on vacation?" Sam asked casually.

Oshea shook her head, grimacing a little. "More like a business trip."

Dean was about to open his mouth to say something, but the interesting tattoo on the girl's chest caught his eye. He arched a brow, then looking back up at Oshea. "That's... an interesting tattoo, Oshea," He said, nudging Sam with his elbow.

Oshea instinctively lifted a hand to brush the tips of her fingers against the tattoo of the five pointed star circled by a ring of flame like designs. "Thank you," She said. "My sister and I have matching ones."

Sam looked at the tattoo and his brows furrowed a little. "A business trip, huh?" He asked a little suspiciously.

Oshea nodded slowly. "Yes..."

Ella arched a brow as the four stood in silence for a moment. "So... what brings you two to South Carolina?"

Sam took a moment to answer, he was still eyeing the tattoo on the young woman's chest. "Hm..? Oh... uh...," He said, blinking. "We're here on business, too, actually."

"Huh. How about that." Ella said, her words laced with suspicion and just a hint of sarcasm. "Well I'm sure you two have heard of the recent rash of disappearances around here... it's such a shame, really. Almost makes you want to steer clear of the water altogether, am I right?"

"Not for us, we're not worried." Sam said, watching Ella.

Oshea crossed her arms over her chest. "What kind of business are you both here for?"

"We're lifeguards, actually," Dean replied, not missing a beat. "We just transferred here from Huntington Beach way over in California, but it was a little too Hollywood for our blood," he chuckled. "Little 90210 looking kiddies running around everywhere. So we decided to give Myrtle Beach a shot," He explained. Over the years, he and his brother had become very skilled at lying. He looked down at his outfit, and realizing they didn't look the part, he added, "We were just headed back to our hotel to change into our beach clothes, but if you guys are still here when we get back, we'd love to talk to you a bit more..."

Oshea smiled a little and nodded. "Lifeguards, huh? You know my sister and I have never been to California. In fact, this is our first time across the pond as it were. We're from Scotland. Don't worry though, we'll still be here when you get back. We'd love to continue this conversation."

Dean forced a smile at the two women and nodded his head. "See you in a bit then," he winked. When he and Sam turned their backs to walk away, the smile faded. "What are the odds that those two chicks just happen to have anti-possession tattoos, and are on business at the same location of these disappearances? I'm tellin' ya, Sammy, I think those two are hunters, too."

Sam smiled at Ella then turned and followed his brother away from them. His smile dropped away as well and his brows furrowed as he glanced toward his brother, nodding. "I think you're right, but why would they come all the way here from Scotland? They must know more about this than they are letting on…. maybe it's more serious than we thought."

Dean shrugged, "Well, as soon as we get back, we can have a little chat with them. For now, we have to go find a clothing store and dress up as lifeguards," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sam nodded and pushed his hands into his pockets. "That shouldn't be too hard. But we're just going to get the clothes then come back… that's all, okay? No food, no flirting, nothing but going into a clothing store then back."

"Sammy, you've seriously got to lighten up. We are allowed to have fun, you know? And that," he said, nodding his head towards a group of attractive young women standing in line at the hot dog stand they passed. "Is fun." He smirked.

Sam rolled his eyes and lifted his hand, rubbing the top of his nose with his middle finger and thumb. "Dean… we don't have time for this. You just ate! Besides, those hunter girls aren't that bad looking. Wouldn't you rather go talk with them as lifeguards, hm?"

Dean thought for a moment. "Fine. But I want another hot dog on the way back."

"Fine. ONE hotdog. On the way BACK. We're going to the clothing store, then to the hotdog stand then back to talk to those girls. That sound alright to you? Good," He said, not waiting for an answer. "Let's go."

"Grumpy…" Dean mumbled, following.


	3. Both Feet in the Water

"I don't believe you," Sam said with a frown as he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Two hamburger stands, a gas station, and the hotdog stand. You're going to explode one day… and there will be a fallout of junk food that will last for years and probably end world hunger." He said as he walked barefoot across the beach , wearing a pair of red shorts with white stripes down the sides and a grey shirt with a red cross and LIFEGUARD written in an arch across the front of the chest. "Those girls are probably gone by now.."

Dean finished off the last of his hamburger and dusted off his hands on the sides of his red shorts. "Nope, there they are," He said, nodding ahead. Sam looked to where Dean was indicating and sighed.

"Good. Now maybe we can…," he paused, his brows furrowing. "Wait… where are they going?" He said, watching as red head broke into a run across the edge of the beach with the brunette following not far behind her. The waves were crashing roughly against the rocks and there was a large black horse galloping along the shore, water lapping around its legs. On its back was a pair of kids clinging to its mane. The redhead ran faster and with the long cane in her hand, launched herself up into the air and landed on the horse's back.

"What the…" Dean said, arching both of his brows at the sight of the horse.

"What is she doing?" Sam frowned, taking a few steps forward. The horse turned sharply toward the ocean and, bucking and tossing its head as it started going further and further out into the ocean. Sam narrowed his eyes and broke into a run, jumping over a dozing person laying on a beach towel as he made his way toward the water. Oshea had managed to pull one of the children off, and the child was standing on the edge of the water. She was wrestling with the other, trying to get it to let go of the horse. The horse gave a sharp buck, throwing Oshea off into the water. The horse snorted and dove under the water taking the little child with it. Sam ran faster, going passed Oshea, who was standing at the edge of the water and diving into the water.

Dean ran towards the water and jumped in, helping Oshea up, and then he quickly glanced around, Sam nowhere to be seen. "Sam!"

Oshea coughed, clinging onto Dean's arm as he pulled her up. Her sunglasses had fallen off while she had been running and now her blind eyes were staring vacantly toward the ocean as she turned her head. "Where are the kids?" She said quickly, coughing again into her head. The water had gone still, the waves just barely lapping against the sand and still Sam was not in view.

"Stay there!" Ella said to the one child standing at the edge of the water, completely soaked. She waded into the water and then took a deep breath, diving under the water.

"Ella? Ella!" Oshea cried, hearing the splash as her sister dove in. She curled her arms around herself, brushing some of her wet hair behind her ear. "We have to get them, Dean… it's going to kill them." The waters began to churn again and Oshea turned her head toward the water. "Ella?"

"Stay back, get on the shore, now," he told Oshea, before diving into the water himself.

"Oh perfect, yeah, that's just great, leave the blind girl!" Oshea shouted at the waves as she heard Dean dive beneath the ocean, too. She ran the fingers of both her hands through her damp hair, turning her back to the water, then facing it again. There was a loud splash and a gasp as Sam came up from the water, coughing roughly. He tried to swim toward the shore, but he was too tired from making his way back up to the surface and started to sink again.

Under the water, Dean spotted Sam, who was slowly sinking back down into the water. He quickly swam towards him, yanking him up by his arm and pulling him to the surface. Oshea's brows furrowed and she started toward the water. She waded into the water, "Ella?" Sam was limp in Dean's grasp as Dean brought him up to the surface.

Dean sat Sam down on the shore, and then turned back around just in time to see Ella emerge from the water, coughing and sputtering water from her mouth as she flailed her arms around, trying to stay above the water. Oshea ran forward and held out a hand toward her sister. "Ella… Ella, come on, hurry."

Sam flopped onto the sand, his head tilting to one side.

Ella took Oshea's hand, and was pulled to the surface. "It… it got one of the kids…" She said, still coughing up some water. Oshea helped her onto the shore and turned her head back toward the water. Sam was unmoving on the sand, a little water easing from his lips.

Dean shook Sam's shoulders, but he was unresponsive. Dean grabbed him by his chin and moved his head around, but still nothing. He sighed and lifted a hand and smacked Sam across the face. Sam blinked slowly and jerked, coughing up water. He looked over at Dean and frowned. "Did you just… hit me?" He shook his head and coughed again, "Okay, girls…" he said, looking up at them. "Time for explaining… what… what was that thing?"

Oshea sighed. "It was a kelpie."

Dean stared. "A what now?"

"A kelpie. It's a Scottish water spirit. It takes the form of a horse with a constantly dripping mane or a woman. As a horse it lures children onto its back and drags them under the water, as a woman, it lures men and kills them into water. It drowns them." She said slowly. "My sister and I have been tracking this particular kelpie… I don't know how it got here… it normally doesn't travel this far…"

"It probably hitched a ride on a boat or something, I'm guessing," Ella said, pushing her damp bangs aside.

"The kelpie is what's been causing the disappearances. It's been taking victims and drowning them." Oshea said quietly, curling her arms around herself. "We followed it here to try to stop it." She lowered her head and shook it slowly. "I should have brought weapons… this is my fault… I should have known this was going to happen… I let it kill another child, Ella…." She said weakly, tears gathering in her eyes.

Ella sighed, looking down. "We've been tracking this kelpie because it… we think it's the one who killed our little brother…"

Sam frowned and looked at Dean then back to Oshea. "Look, you couldn't have known that-"

"Yes I could have!" She said sharply, rubbing her arms and tears running down her cheeks. "I could have…. Why … why do I see these things if I can't stop it from happening?"

"What do you mean, you see things?" Dean asked, arching a brow as he looked at Oshea.

"I… I have visions," She said after a moment of silence. "Visions of the future. It started not long ago. After my birthday. I saw my brother dying before he did… I saw the most recent boy's disappearance from this beach… that's how we knew that the kelpie had come here…"

"Visions… huh?" Dean said, his eyes widening a bit as he and Sam exchanged glances.

"How old are you…?" Sam whispered, keeping his eyes on her.

"Twenty three, my last birthday…"

"And… and did your mother… did she die in a house fire?"

Oshea's brows furrowed and she shook her head. "Why… why would you ask that? No.. she… didn't. She and dad died in a car accident, it was snowing and the car went off the road."

"Why would you ask if they had died in a house fire, what kind of question is that?" Ella asked, crossing her arms across her chest defensively, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Dean cleared his throat, "Well see, our mom… she died in a house fire the exact day Sammy turned six months old. We… we've been traveling across the country, searching for the… the _thing _that killed her. And now, Sam here… well, he has visions too. Just started right after his twenty-third birthday."

Oshea shook her head. "That's not what's happening to me. My mother didn't die when I was six months old. She died when I was twelve. It was just a car accident." She said slowly. "Who exactly are you both?"

"We're hunters like you…," Sam said.

Dean gestured towards the girls' tattoos. "Those pretty much tipped us off about who you two were."

"We don't have anything to hide, and anyone who doesn't know what it is just thinks we have very interesting tastes." Oshea said quietly, the conversation was making her feel a little nervous. Sam's brows furrowed as he noticed the groove like scars around Oshea's eyes.

"What… if you don't mind… uh… what happened to your eyes?"

Oshea stiffened a little. "I…" She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "After I started… I started having the visions. I would have them all the time… and I… I thought if I… I wanted to make it stop and I … I got tired of it one day of seeing things.. .and I… I tried to claw my eyes out…"

Dean frowned a bit, "So… you're-?"

"Yes… I'm blind." She replied very quietly. She gave a bitter laugh. "So of course now… the only thing I -can- see is the visions. But it doesn't do anyone any good. Because I can't save anyone… I couldn't save my brother… I couldn't save the kid…"

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Dean said, "You tried your best, and you can't always save everybody."

"Well, my best isn't good enough. We have to figure out a way to stop this thing before it kills someone else." She said.

"How exactly do you kill one of those things?"

"First off, you can only kill it when it's out of the water, and in it's human form. Meaning we've got to have someone lure it out onto the beach. Secondly, regular bullets have no effect on it. Nor do knives, guns, or weapons of any kind. Basically, you've got to torch the sucker," Ella explained. "So… either of you have a spare flame thrower? Sadly we were not able to bring ours on the plane... "

"So you're going to need bait." Sam said thoughtfully. "I'll do it. I'll lure it out."

Dean shook his head. "Sammy, no."

Ella glared at Dean. "Do you want to kill this thing or not? Sam is willing to do it, so unless you would prefer wandering around and taking the first lonely, desperate hobo that you can find, and offering it up instead, I'd say this is our only plan. Neither Oshea or I can lure it out, it only goes after children and men."

"Besides, Dean, she already had a taste of me… she'll come to me." Sam said slowly. "I'll be okay." He paused a moment then looked at Ella and Oshea. "So… wait, you've killed these before?"

"Yes," Oshea said. "We've killed a few."

"Then… how did you lure them out?"

Oshea paused then cleared her throat. "I… dressed up like a man."

Dean arched a brow and stared at her for a good five seconds. "And… that worked?"

She smiled a little at him. "What? You don't think I'd make a believable man?"

He chuckled, "Well, you're too pretty to pass as a guy," he said, smirking a little.

Ella sighed, looking over at Dean. "Dude, stop flirting with my little sister."

Oshea blushed a little and smiled, clearing her throat. "Okay… um… we… we need to find a way to burn up the kelpie once Sam has lured it onto the beach. Sam, there is one thing," She said, growing serious again. "You can't let her kiss you. That's one way she drowns the men. And if you get her on land so she can't drag you down, she's going to try to drown you that way so she can take you back to the ocean with her."

Sam shook his head with a wry smile. "Don't worry. No one kisses me. Dean's the one who gets the lip service."

"And she can take the form of any woman…"

"That's okay, I know the drill, we've dealt with shape shifters before."

"Well then, let's go." Oshea said with a small smile.


	4. Till The Next Goodbye

The moon was full and shining down on the rippling ocean water. Sam took in a deep breath of the salty air as he stepped across the beach toward the rocks. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do to lure the kelpie out. He stripped of his shirt and walked to the water, diving in and swimming around a bit. He had resurfaced and was brushing back his damp hair from his face when he saw a blonde female sitting on the rocks. Sam's eyes grew wide as he stared at her, "…Jess…?" He swallowed hard and backed away. He had to keep focused. It was just a shape shifter. The woman beckoned for him and called his name, and he forced a smile. "Come on, Jess." He said, playing along. "Come back with me…" The kelpie slowly climbed down from the rock and slipped into the water. "Come on, Jess," He said, his voice cracking as the kelpie swam toward him.

He stepped up slowly onto the sand, and the kelpie crawling up out of the water. Sam stumbled back and fell onto the sand. The kelpie crawled onto him, stroking his bare chest. "Oh, Sam… I missed you…" It said softly, looking into his eyes. Sam swallowed hard and closed his eyes as the kelpie breathed against him and pressed her lips to his. Sam's brows furrowed, but he missed Jess so much it was so tempting to just let her. He was about to try to push her away, when seawater started to fill his throat. His eyes widened and he struggled as the salty water began to flow out of his eyes and nose.

Ella, Oshea, and Dean were all huddled behind a large multicolored beach umbrella, watching the scene quickly unfold. Both Dean and Ella were holding a tall can of Mega Rave hairspray in one hand, and a grill lighter in the other, preparing to jump up at any moment. Ella peered out from behind the umbrella for a quick moment. "Oshea, just stay back here. We can't risk you catching Sam on fire," She said, partly joking. "Okay, Dean, now!"

They both jumped up and ran towards the young woman that was taking Jess' form. "HEY!" Dean yelled loudly, hoping to get the woman's attention. Sam was limp in the woman's arms, his eyes rolling back a little as the kelpie kissed him. The kelpie dropped Sam to the sand and hissed at them, starting to step back toward the water, grabbing onto Sam's ankle.

Ella ran forward, flipping on the lighter and pressing down on the top of the hairspray container. Flames erupted from the nozzle as she aimed it toward the kelpie. The creature snarled and screeched. She let go of Sam and lurched forward toward Ella, striking out at the hairspray container and trying to knock it from her hand.

Ella stumbled backwards onto the sand, the hairspray and lighter falling a couple feet away from her. The kelpie snarled and leapt after her, clawing at the huntress with her long nails.

Ella screamed as the nails ripped through her shirt and cut into her stomach, leaving five long, bloody tears in the fabric of the blouse.

Dean stood behind the kelpie, hairspray bottle and lighter raised. "Hey you."

Oshea stiffened. "Ella! Ella!"

The kelpie turned around, snarling at Dean.

"Bye bye," he said, smirking a little, pressing down on the hairspray container, and flipping on the lighter. The kelpie gave a blood curdling screech as the fire exploded in her face. The fire spread over her hair and rippled over her skin that peeled away and curled until she crumpled into a pile of dust.

Ella groaned in pain as she tried to sit up. Dean let the lighter and hairspray fall to the sand as he walked over to Ella and helped her up, then walking over to Sam and kneeling over him. "Sammy, don't make me slap you again." Oshea rushed forward, following the sound of Ella's groans and knelt down beside of her.

"Ella, are you okay?" She asked quickly, lowering her hand and touching her sibling's shoulders, arms then finally finding the wound in her stomach. She stiffened. "Ella, you're hurt. How bad is it?" Sam was unmoving on the sand, the salty water still oozing from his eyes, nose and mouth. Even when Dean finally slapped him, he did not stir.

Dean's eyes widened a bit as he shook him once more. Sam flopped limply as Dean shook him and his head lolled to the side. His lashes fluttered slightly after a moment, though and he groaned, coughing and retching up sea water onto the sand. "Jess…" He panted, looking around as if searching for someone.

Dean let out a sigh of relief and then pulled Sam up into a sitting position. "Jess isn't here, Sam. Remember, it was just the kelpie…"

Sam coughed again and closed his eyes, running his hand over his hair. "Sorry.. I know… I just…" He sighed. "Did we get it?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.

Dean nodded. "Yep, it's ashes now."

"I'll be okay," Ella said, still wincing. The two sisters walked over to where Sam and Dean were. "Well, that was fun, only not really," Ella said.

Oshea smiled a little. "Thank you both… so much." She stepped over to Dean, placing a hand on his shoulder and standing on the tips of her toes, pressing her lips to his briefly before taking a step back. She brushed some of her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "I guess… Ella and I can go now that the kelpie is gone."

"We'll have to get you guys' phone numbers, you know, just in case," Ella said, smiling over at Sam. Sam looked up at her and blinked in surprise.

"You want our… Oh! Uh… it's um…," He stuttered a little, suddenly drawing a blank. "Dean's is… 785-555-0179. You can reach us both there. I don't actually have a phone right now… mine kind of is at the bottom of the ocean from when I jumped in the water the first time." He said a little sheepishly. "But Dean and I are never apart really, so… " He smiled a bit at Ella. "If you… yeah… you can call his phone."

Oshea nodded. "We'll send you our number once we get back to Scotland." She said with a smile, a little blush coloring her cheeks. "So if you ever need any help… or just want to talk… we'll be there."

Dean nodded. "See you guys around I guess…" He smiled.

Ella smiled at Sam, "Bye Sam, bye Dean," she gave Sam a small wave before she and her sister turned around and started to walk from the beach. Sam lifted a hand,

"B-bye, Ella!" He called after her. He lowered his hand and let it fall to the side again, giving a little sigh as he stared after her.

Dean turned and stared at Sam. "Smooth, Sammy, real smooth."

Sam blushed a bit and looked at him. "It's _Sam_. Not Sammy. _Sam. _And some of us don't flirt with everything feminine that breathes. So bite me." He said, glancing back one more time at Ella's dwindling form. "It's too bad they had to leave… we could have… you know… hung out on the beach or something." He said.

"Yeah, it's too bad," he mumbled, watching after them until the two of them disappeared from view. "Well, back to the hotel, then we can figure out where to go from there. I heard there was a nest of vampires in Illinois… Chicago, I think. Bobby mentioned it to me last week."

"Chicago it is then… are you sure you're not just wanting to go there for the hotdogs and pizza?" Sam asked skeptically, arching a brow.

Dean glared, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Pig." He said under his breath as the sun began to rise over the water and they made their way back to the hotel.


	5. Nothing Ever Goes As Planned

FOUR MONTHS LATER

SCOTLAND

Oshea gave a sharp cry, her eyes opening wide as she lifted her hands, gripping her head that was throbbing. She clenched her teeth, grinding them together as images began to flash through her mind. A pair of yellow eyes glared at her then were gone and she found herself watching Sam moving slowly through a dark, shadowed place. Someone she could not make out came from behind him and drove a thick shard of metal into the small of his back. The images blurred and the next thing she saw was Dean clinging to Sam, who was limp and bleeding heavily from the wound in his back. Oshea screamed and lurched upward in her bed as the vision ended. She was shaking and sweat was beading on her forehead. "Ella! ELLA!"

Ella was sitting on her bed, in the room across from Oshea's, enjoying a nice slice of oreo pie (which she had snitched from Oshea after Dean had sent her many various types of pie through the mail), when she heard the screaming. She placed it down on the bed quickly and ran towards Oshea's room, flinging the door open. Oshea had stood from her bed and was running toward the door to go into Ella's room and she collided into her sister, throwing her arms around her and clinging. "Ella… I had a vision! It's something terrible!" She said, her voice shaking. "We have to call Dean! Right now!" Her words were coming out in a rush and she was shaking.

"Oshea, calm down. First off, it's like, 5 in the morning over there. Dean would have a hissy fit if we called and woke him from his beauty sleep. Secondly, what was the vision about? I've never seen you this upset over a vision."

"I've never had a vision this bad before, Ella." She said slowly, running her fingers through her hair. "I saw this… this _thing_ with yellow eyes. It was the most frightening thing I've ever seen. Then… then I saw Sam. He was all alone. I don't know where it was dark and a little foggy… and this man came from behind him and… and just stabbed him. He stabbed him in the back, and Sam… Sam died." She said, her voice unsteady. "Sam _died_, Ella. He's going to _die_!"

Ella's eyes widened a bit, and immediately ran back to her room for her cell phone. Dean's number was 3 on speed-dial. She held the phone up to her ear, but the phone continued to ring. She tried again. No answer. Oshea followed her quickly into the room, sitting down on the edge of Ella's bed. Her brows furrowed. "Ella… what's going on? Isn't the call going through?"

"He's… not answering," She replied quietly, letting the phone snap shut.

"What?" Oshea gasped, standing up from the bed. "Something must be wrong. Just keep trying, Ella, we have to warn them."

Ella sighed. "He's probably shoving his face so full of pie that he can't hear the phone ring. I'll keep trying, though… just, go get some rest. Sam is going to be fine, I promise."

Two Days Later…

Sam rolled his eyes as they pulled to a stop at the café and arched a brow. "Dean… seriously? You just ate!"

Dean ignored him, pulling out a five dollar bill from his pocket and waving it in the air in front of Sam's face. "Don't forget the extra onions this time, 'kay?"

"Dude, I'm the one who's going to have to ride in the car with your extra onions." Sam complained, snatching the money and pushing open the door of the Impala and climbing out.

"See if they got any pie!" Dean said, leaning over in the seat to look out at Sam. Sam dipped his head back into the car and looked in at Dean incredulously. He rolled his eyes and made a face before slamming the door and trudging up toward the café, muttering to himself.

"Bring me some pie!" But it was too late, Sam was already inside of the building. "Love me some pie…" he said quietly to himself before reaching over and turning up the volume knob on the car stereo. Just then, his cell phone rang. He turned the volume back down and picked it up, flipping it open without glancing at the caller-ID. "Hello?"

"Dean? Oh my god, Dean, finally, I've been trying to get in touch with you for two days now!" Ella's voice almost yelled into the phone.

Dean winced and moved the phone away from his ear a moment. "Geez, lower the volume El, we've been busy. What's up?"

Ella sighed. "Dean, Oshea is gone. She's missing… I have no idea where she is! And two days ago she had a vision. Something about a man with yellow eyes… and then Sam… she said something was going to happen to Sam."

Dean was quiet for a moment. "Yellow eyes… crap…." He mumbled. "What happens in the vision, Ella, what happens to Sam?"

"He dies."

Dean almost dropped the phone as he looked up at the window of the small café, the OPEN sign shining brightly in red neon letters on the top of the window, and noticed that the café appeared empty. The radio that was on at low volume was now filled with static. He jumped out of the vehicle and ran inside the building. Pulling out a pistol from his pocket, he called out, "Sam?" He stepped further into the café, an old country song playing in the background. A balding man's head was laying face down on the table on one of the booths; his had had fallen aside and blood spilled out from underneath his face and covered part of the table, dripping onto the floor from the corner.

"_Trying to do the best that he can. I've heard things lately so please don't…"_ The old music played eerily. Dean stepped around the counter, where a woman and a man, both cooks, were sprawled out on the floor of the kitchen, blood drenching the fronts of their white shirts and forming a puddle on the gray tiled floor. There were deep slits on both of their throats. Dean walked past them and out the back door, and called out Sam's name again, looking out at the marsh-like area in the backyard. But no Sam.

He started to close the door, placing his hand on the windowsill of the door, when he realized he had stuck his hand in something. He pulled his hand away slowly, looking at the pale yellow substance. "Sulfur…" He muttered, and then hurried out of the café, calling out Sam's name a few more times, rain drizzling around him. "SAM!"

_**A/N: Last post for the weekend. I won't have internet again for another week or two, so then I will post a couple more chapters.**_


	6. Mysteries And Mayhem

_**A/N: The next five chapters are basically a rewrite of All Hell Breaks Loose pt. 1 and pt. 2, except for writing in Oshea and Ella, but it's important for the storyline, so we couldn't really leave anything out.**_

Sam gave a soft gasp and jerked up, his eyes fluttering and opening. He found himself sprawled on a door-like shape of wood that was laying in the midst of a patch of tall, dead dry grass. He pushed himself up into a sitting position then stood to his feet. He looked around slowly then stepped away from the plank of wood he had been laying on and reached for his cell phone. He pulled it out and quickly flipped it open, frowned and lifting it into the air in search of a signal. When he found none, he sighed sharply and slammed the phone closed. He paused and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ella? Ella, are you there? Ella!"

Sam perked up slightly when he heard the familiar voice. "Oshea? Oshea!" He broke into a jog and slipped between a pair of buildings, letting his fingertips brush against the side of one of them. He stepped out onto a dusty dirt road that cut through what looked like a ghost town out of an old western movie. Oshea was wandering aimlessly in the middle of the road, her arms stretched out in front of her as she tried to navigate. Sam sighed with relief, glad to see a familiar face and he ran to her, taking her outstretched hand. "Oshea! Man, it's great to see you. Are you alright?"

Oshea clung to his hand and turned to face him. "Sam! I'm so glad you're alright! Where are we? Do you know where Ella is? Or Dean, is he here?" She asked hopefully. Sam sighed and shook his head, then remembering she couldn't see him doing it, he spoke.

"No, I don't know where Ella or Dean are, but from what I can see they aren't here. I don't know where here is either." He said with a frown, looking up at an old, rusty windmill as its blades slowly turned, creaking loudly. "Come on, just stick with me and we'll be okay. We'll figure this out." He looped his arm with hers and started walking with her through the town. He moved up to a building, stepping up onto the stoop of a building with a sign on the door reading 'Cobbler.' He peered inside the door's window, squinting, but didn't see anything. He tried the next building, too, but again there was nothing. He did hear a loud creak, and he froze. Oshea tightened her grip on his arm.

"What was that?" She whispered.

Sam frowned. "I'm not sure… here, get behind me and put your hands on my back. Stay with me." He said, looking around and finding an old two by four leaned against the wall of the building. He picked it up with both hands and stepped forward toward an alley between the building where he and Oshea were and the next. He scooted to the edge of the building and lifted the board as he stepped into the alley.

A young man with short, scruffy dark brown hair, wearing a black jacket over top a gray hoodie, was walking through the alley, chewing on the tip of the necklace he was wearing. When Sam started to swing at him, he flailed his arms about and ducked, falling to the ground. "Aah!"

"Andy?"

"What are you doing here?" Andy asked quickly. "What am I doing here?" He said frantically gesturing toward himself.

"I don't know. Just-"

"Where aaaare we?" He slightly whined.

Sam sighed, throwing away the two by four. "Andy, look, just calm down."

"I can't calm down!" He squeaked. "I have just woke up in frigging Frontierland." He said, lifting his hands and waving them a little by his head. Oshea stepped around from behind Sam, holding onto his arm. Andy frowned, calming for a split second. "Who is that?"

Sam glanced back at the girl then looked to Andy. "This is Oshea. She's a psychic hunter from Scotland. But that's beside the point. What is the last thing that you remember?"

Andy sighed and lifted his hands to his head and closing his eyes. "Honestly? My fourth bong-load." Sam stared at him blankly, and Andy continued. "It was weird. All of a sudden, there was this really intense smell, like, uh-"

"Like sulfur?" Sam questioned.

"How did you know that?" Andy said nervously.

"Dean."

"Your brother, is-is he here?" He said nervously, pointing to the ground beneath him.

"I don't know where he is. I don't know if he's-" He stopped as he heard the sound of a woman screaming somewhere in the distance.

"Please, I'm locked in here!" The woman's voice continued to yell, banging at the doors inside an old, locked shed. Andy, Oshea and Sam moved around the buildings toward the padlocked shed and Sam stepped forward, with Oshea still clinging to his arm. Sam placed his hands on the surface of the door as the woman continued to cry out.

"Okay. Okay. I'm here. We're gonna get you out alright?" He said through the door. "Just hold on a second," he said, looking around on the ground for something to break the lock.

"Please!" The woman yelled, and then started to cry, her sobs somewhat muffled from the behind the shed's door. Sam reached over and grabbed a huge rock, smashing it repeatedly against the padlock until it snapped.

"All right, one second." He said, pulling the lock out and opening the door.

"Please…" She whimpered one last time before the door was pulled open. A young woman with long dark brown hair, wearing an olive colored jacked over a purple top and a par of dark jeans.

"Ava?" Sam looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

Ava's expression was exactly the same. "Oh, my god. Sam!" She gasped, running toward him and attacking him with a hug, sobbing into his chest. Sam staggered slightly, his eyes wide, and Oshea gave a small squeak of alarm.

"What's going on?" She asked quickly, still clinging to Sam's arm.

"Sorry, Oshea." Sam said, rubbing Ava's back comfortingly. "This is Ava…"

"So I guess you guys know each other," Andy said slowly.

Sam looked at him, "Yeah."

Ava pulled away from Sam, waving a finger at him. "How did you-? I mean-" She pointed behind her.

"Ava, have you been here this whole time?" Sam asked with a confused expression.

"What whole time? I just woke up in there like a half an hour ago," She said frantically.

"Well, you've been gone for five months. My brother and I have been looking for you everywhere." Sam said slowly, his brows furrowing.

Ava smiled at Sam skeptically, "Okay, that's impossible, because I just saw you two days ago."

"You didn't. I'm sorry." He said with a small shake of his head.

"But… that makes no sense. It's-" She looked away for a moment shaking her head. "Oh, my God," She exclaimed, a thought popping into her head. "My fiancé, Brandy, if I've been missing for that long, he must be _freaking_ out!"

Sam stared at her a moment. "Well-"

"Oh!" She started to cry into the palm of her hand when she suddenly realized Andy had been standing there. Andy stared and flopped up the too long sleeve of his jacket.

"Hey."

Ava looked at Andy, and then at Sam, and back at Andy. Andy blinked. "Andy. Also freaking out."

Sam nodded. "And this is Oshea. Psychic huntress from Scotland."

Oshea lifted a hand shakily. "Hi…"

Ava stared at Andy for a moment and then blinked. "Okay," She turned back to Sam, "What's happening?"

"I don't know. I don't really know yet." Sam stammered. "But I know one thing. I know what the four of us have in common."

A man's deep voice echoed throughout the empty town. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

"Maybe more than four." Sam said, stepping away with Oshea in tow.

"Wait," Ava said weakly, and the small group drifted down the damp, muddy road between the buildings, following the voice.

"Hello?" Sam said. "Hey, are you guys alright?" He said as the small group rounded the building and came upon an African American man wearing fatigues and a blonde girl wearing a thigh length black leather coat and tights.

"I think so," the dark skinned man replied.

"I'm Sam."

"I'm Jake."

"Lily," The blonde girl answered.

"Okay this is Oshea, Andy and Ava. Are there any more of you?" He asked, furrowing his brows as he leaned slightly to look around them.

"No."

"How did we even get here?" Lily asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "A minute ago I was in San Diego."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I went to bed last night in Afghanistan," Jake said.

Ava arched her brows and stared at him.

"Let me take a wild guess. You're both 23?" Sam paused and the expressions on the two new arrivals let him know that he was correct. "We all are. And we all have abilities." Sam explained.

"What?"

"It started a little over a year ago… when you found you could do things. Things you didn't think were possible. I have visions. I see things before they happen. So does Oshea." He said, gesturing toward the blind girl still clinging with a vice grip to his arm.

"Me, too." Ava said.

"I can put thoughts into people's heads, like, make them do stuff. But don't worry, I don't think it works on you guys." Andy explained almost happily. "Oh, but get this, um, I've been practicing. Training my brain like meditation, right? So now, it's not just thoughts I can beam out but images, too." Andy said smiling and waving his hands around expressively as he spoke. "Like, anything I want it's like BAM! People, they see it. This one guy I know, total dick. I used it on him. Gay porn, all hours of the day. It's just like- you should have seen the look on his face," He said cracking up while the others stared at him blankly.

Sam smiled and gave a polite half chuckle while Andy stepped away, embarrassed.

"Oh okay."

Lily spoke up angrily. "So you go 'Simon says give me your wallet' and they do? You three have visions? That's great! I'd kill for something like that."

"Lily, listen, it's okay-"

"No, it's not." She lifted up her left hand. "I touch people, their hearts STOP. I can barely leave my house. My life hasn't exactly improved. So screw you. I just want to go home," She started to turn away.

"And what, we don't?" Jake said, turning to look at her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned back to him, pointing a finger at him. "You know what, don't talk to me like that-"

"Hey!" Sam cut in. "Look whether we like it or not, we're all here. And so we all have to deal with this."

"Who brought us here?" Andy asked.

"Less of a who, more of a what," Sam replied.

"What does that mean?" Ava asked.

"It's uh… it's a demon."

Everyone stared at Sam blankly, speechless. Lily scoffed and looked away.


	7. At War With The World

Bobby Singer leaned over the map that had been spread out over the hood of the Impala. He was wearing a grey long sleeved shirt with a dark gray vest and a worn old green and brown hat pressed down onto his head. "This is it," He said. Pointing to the map. "All demonic signs and omens in the past month."

"You're joking there's nothing here," Dean said, his brows furrowed as he looked up from the map. Ella was leaning her back against the side of the Impala, her arms crossed over her chest. She had immediately taken a flight to the States after hearing that Sam had vanished as well. Bobby nodded.

"Exactly."

Ella glanced over at Dean and Bobby, a worried expression on her face. "Come on, there's gotta be something. What about the normal, low-level stuff?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, exorcisms, that sort of thing."

"That's what I'm telling you, nothing." Bobby said, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "It's completely quiet."

"How are we supposed to look for Sam and Oshea? Close our eyes and point?" Dean was growing impatient. His cell phone rang and he sighed, answering it. He stepped over to the side and answered it.

Ella sighed and walked a little further down the road, pacing. The more time they wasted, the less likely Oshea or Sam would be okay when they found them… if they found them. She had only stepped away for a minute… Two days earlier they were in a grocery store, stacking up on all the necessities, most of which included cookies n' cream ice cream, frozen pizzas, and tater-tots. She stepped away to go get something from another aisle, and when she came back, the shopping cart was abandoned in the middle of the aisle, and Oshea was gone. And now, two days later, they were frantically trying to find out where Sam and Oshea had disappeared to. They knew it had something to do with Yellow Eyes, and they were probably both in the same place.

Ella returned to the car just as Dean hung up the phone. "That was Ash, I guess we're going to the Roadhouse."

"Who's Ash?" Ella spoke up.

"He's a friend of ours, he's going to help us. But we have to get there, now."

Bobby and Ella nodded and the three of them piled into the Impala.

"So we're supposed to be soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?" Jake asked incredulously, pacing across the porch of the old home.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Sam said.

"And we've been picked?"

"Yes," Sam nodded.

"Why us?"

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "Okay, but look, I just know-"

"Sam?" Ava spoke up. "I'm sorry, psychics and spoon bending is one thing but demons?"

Sam was growing impatient. "I know it sounds crazy-"

"It doesn't just sound it." Jake cut in.

"I don't really care what you think," Sam said turning around to glare at Jake. "If we're all gathered here, it means it's starting. We gotta-"

"The only thing I gotta do is stay away from wackjobs like you. I've heard enough. I'm better off on my own. FYI," He looked at Oshea, Ava, Lily and Andy. "So are you," And then he walked off. Sam sighed and ran his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. He frowned and started off in the direction Jake had gone in. He couldn't just let him wander off, something might happen. When he stepped into the house Jake had disappeared into, he found the man backing away from a female demon.

Sam's eyes widened and he grabbed a fire poker, lifting it up and swinging it through the middle of the demon, sending her into a cloud of fire and black smoke that drifted out of the room passed Andy, Lily, and Ava. "Just so you know," Sam said, touching Oshea's hand which was clutching his arm so tightly her knuckles were white. "That was a demon. That thing. I'm not sure, but I think it was an Acheri. That's a-"

"A demon that disguises itself as a little girl," Oshea chimed in quietly.

"Still doesn't tell us where we are though," Sam said with a sigh. "Andy, are you with me or what?"

"In a minute. I'm still working through the 'demons are real' thing." He said, twirling his finger around slowly as he stared at the ground thoughtfully.

A few moments later, they were all moving again. Sam sighed. "Okay, we're looking for iron, silver, salt, any kind of weapon."

"Salt is a weapon?" Jake asked, arching a brow.

"It's a brave new world," Sam said wryly.

"Well, hopefully there is food in this brave new world because I'm friggin' starving," Andy complained.

As the rest of the group wandered inside one of the houses, Lily stopped for a moment, looking around her, and then walking away, walking through woods, hoping to find a way out of there.

THE ROADHOUSE

The Impala turned a corner as Dean drove into the driveway of the Roadhouse. Or, what used to be the Roadhouse. Smoke still lingered in the air around the building, which was burned to a crisp. Only half of the front of the building stood.

"What the hell…" Dean muttered, stopping the car in front of it. They all glanced nervously out at the wreckage and got out of the car.

"My God…" Bobby mumbled as they were walking through the mess, looking down at the partially exposed dead bodies amongst the pieces of wood here and there.

"You see Ellen?" Dean asked, looking around.

Bobby shook his head. "No, no Ash either."

Dean kneeled down when he saw part of an arm, black and burned, hanging out from underneath a piece of wood. He pulled it up a little to examine it close. A watch was strapped onto its wrist.

"Oh, Ash, damn it." Dean muttered, dropping the hand and looking over at Bobby and Ella.

Ella sighed. "This isn't good…"

"This is-"

"What the hell did Ash know? We got no way of knowing where Ellen is or if she's even alive. We got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us, now how the hell are we gonna find Sam or Oshea?"

Ella looked at Dean. "We'll find them.."

Dean suddenly lifted a hand to his forehead and grunted in pain, a flash of images appearing in his mind, like a vision.

"What was that?" Bobby and Ella both said at the same time.

"I.. I don't know. Headache?" Dean said.

"You get headaches like that a lot?" Bobby asked.

"No… must be the stress," He chucked a little. "I coulda swore I saw something."

"Like a vision?" Ella asked.

"No, not like a vision. I'm not some psychic." The splitting pain came again, along with the images.

"Dean?" Bobby put a hand on Dean's shoulder while Ella stared worriedly.

And then as quickly as it came, the vision was over. "I saw Sam. I don't know how."

"What did you see?"

"It was some kind of bell.. it had an engraving on it, I don't know."

"Engraving? Was it some kind of tree, like an oak tree?" Bobby asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, exactly."

"I know where they are."

Sam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to fend off the weariness that was plaguing him. He did not believe that things had gotten worse, but they had. Not only were they in a strange place with demons running around, but now people were dying. They had found Lily hanging on the creaking windmill. Sam could still see her, and for once he was glad that Oshea was blind. She was dozing against him, and he had a protective arm around her shoulders, holding her against his chest. He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes, planning on just resting for a moment. He was awakened from a terrible nightmare by a scream. He jerked up and looked down at Oshea, who was awake herself. "Sam…"

"It's okay." He said slowly, rubbing her arm a little. "It's okay. Come on." He stood up with her and started to walk out of the house where they had taken shelter. "Come on, let's see if we can find the others."

When Oshea and Sam walked out of the house, they found Ava standing over Andy's bloodied body. "I.. I just found him like this!" She whimpered, tears falling from her eyes as she looked down at Andy.

Sam's eyes grew wide and he felt a little bile rose in his throat. He blinked and looked away from the sight of Andy laying on the floor with his guts spilling out onto the dusty earth. He looked at Ava, keeping one arm protectively around Oshea's shoulders. "Where were you? The others were looking all over for you…"

"I went to look for some water! And when I came back he was… Oh God…" She sobbed.

Sam's brows furrowed and realization dawned on him. His eyes grew slightly wide as he stared at her and he released Oshea, carefully pushing her behind of him. "You're lying…" He said quietly.

Tears continued to fall down her cheeks as she looked up at him. "What are you talking about, Sam? Why are you saying that?" She sobbed.

"You've been here for five months, no one else has been here that long." Sam said, narrowing his eyes.

"I told you, I- I don't know how I got here. Two days ago I was with you and now it's five months later somehow and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with psychic people who keep getting killed off because of some demon! This is insane!"

"Then why did the rest of us just disappear? You're the only one here who has been missing five months. And that… that 'headache' you got when Lily died? Cut the act, Ava, and tell me why you're doing this."

She continued to sob almost hysterically. "Sam, I don't know, I really…" She sighed, lifting a hand to wipe away the tears. She chuckled. "Had you going there, though, didn't I?"

Sam stiffened. "Why are you doing this, Ava? How could you?"

"You don't understand, do you, Sam? There's a whole other world out there if you just give into those powers of yours. All the switches that just flip in your brain, it's amazing!" She grinned. "Sam, this is just a game, and all I'm trying to do is win. So nothing personal, you two," She winked before putting her hands to her forehead and squinting as if she was having a headache.

Sam shook his head. "Ava, no! Stop it! Stop it, Ava!" He cried, he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the demon that Ava was summoning shove it's claws through Oshea's side and throw her away. Oshea screamed as she crashed through the window of one of the buildings. "Oshea!" He took a step back, staring at the demon that was coming toward him.

A few moments later Jake ran up behind Ava, and put both hands around her neck. With a slight jerk, there was a snap, and Ava's body fell to the ground limply, and the demon disappeared. Sam whirled around to face Jake, panting a little as he looked down at Ava's body as it sank to the ground. He took a deep breath and started to step away. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

"Sorry Sam, but no. Only one of us is getting out of here," Jake said, shaking his head. "I'll go, try to find a way out of here, and then I'll call for help."

Sam froze and stared at Jake in utter shock. "Jake, no… come on. We can get out together!"

"How do I know you're not going to turn on me?"

"I'm not going to!" Sam said quickly. "I promise! Look." He reached into his waistband and pulled out his knife, dropping it to the ground. "Okay? Now come on, let's go see if we can find Oshea and get out of here… okay?"

Jake shook his head. "No, Sam. I'm sorry, but I can't trust you." And with that, he swung his fist at Sam, sending him flying backwards. Sam gave a cry and crashed into a fence. The pieces of the fence broke beneath him and he groaned as he tried to push himself to up.

Jake started to walk towards him, his fist ready to throw another punch. Sam kicked him sharply in the abdomen. He stood up quickly and threw another punch at Jake, sending him staggering. He picked up a piece of the broken fence and struck him across the face. He looked down at Jake's still form and briefly entertained the idea of ending him right then. With a frustrated sigh, he through the piece away and staggered away from the man's body, going down the dusty road.

A couple moments later, Jake gathered up enough strength to stand back up, and he picked up the broken piece of fence, breaking into a run after Sam. Sam sighed as he stumbled through the streets, really wishing that he could just go home. He froze, his eyes growing wide as he could have sworn that he heard his brother. Turning, he looked down the road and saw Dean and Bobby and Ella coming down the road toward him. "Dean?" He said quickly, almost afraid that they were going to disappear. "Dean!"

"Sammy! Sammy look out!" Dean yelled.

Jake quickly appeared behind Sam, shoving the weapon into Sam's back, twisting it around and cutting straight through his spinal chord. Sam's eyes widened and he grunted, feeling pain tearing through him. He tilted his head back, seeing the sky spinning slowly above him. The weapon was suddenly ripped from his back, and he gave a soft sigh, sinking to his knees.

"SAM!" Dean yelled as he ran towards Sam, and when he reached him he grabbed his arms and held him up right. "Sammy, no…" He said, as Bobby ran ahead after Jake. Sam slumped over into Dean's arms and wobbled around a bit. Tears started to form in Dean's eyes as he pulled Sam away to look at him. "It's okay, Sammy, it's okay, you're going to be okay," He said. "It's not even that bad, it-" He put his hand on his back and felt blood drenching the entire back side of his jacket.

Sam grimaced as Dean placed a hand on his back. He parted his lips slightly, but could not speak. He knew when Dean stopped talking that it must have been bad. When Dean leaned him back a little to look at him, Sam's head lolled slightly. His eyelids felt heavy and started to droop. Dean's voice was starting to sound far away.

Dean continued to shake Sam but Sam just fell over onto him, his head resting on his shoulder as he went still. "Sam, no… no… no… I can fix this, we can… No, Sam… SAM!"


	8. Hot Rails To Hell

Oshea limped, leaning her head against Bobby's chest as he lead her back to the place that they had made their temporary camp. Blood was drying on her side and she had a hand placed over the wounds that the demon's claws had caused. It was a small abandoned home on the edge of the town where Sam and the others had been taken to. Bobby smiled a little at Ella, who was standing on the porch outside. "I found a stray psychic kid. Think she belongs to you." Oshea looked up at Ella.

"Oh, Ella." She said quietly, stepping away from Bobby and limping toward her sister.

Ella touched her sisters arm and pulled her over to where she was standing. "Dean's inside… with Sam…" She murmured quietly.

Oshea released a relieved sigh. "So he's okay? Sam's okay? Dean was able to get to him before my vision came true?"

Tears started to form in Ella's bright green eyes, as she shook her head and looked away, pulling away from Oshea for a moment as she stepped across the porch and leaned against the railing. Oshea frowned as she felt Ella pull away. "Ella… why… why aren't you answering me? What happened? Sam and I got separated…"

"Oshea… Sam's gone. Jake got to him," She said quietly.

Oshea's eyes widened and she brought a hand to her lips, covering her mouth as she shook her head. "No…" She swallowed hard. "How… how is Dean?"

"He's… alive… but he's… not doing too good," She sighed.

Oshea turned toward the building, but she did not go inside. Much as she wanted to see him again, she knew that he was not in the mood for company. Bobby put a hand on her back and propelled her into the house anyway, a bag of food on his other arm. "Come on. Dean's two loves in life, food and girls. Maybe you can breathe some life back into him."

"I don't think he'll want to see me." Oshea stammered.

"Dean," Bobby said, stepping into the dining area of the small home. He sat down the bag of food and started to unpack it onto the table. "Dean, come on, you need to eat something, and you have company."

Dean was sitting in an old wooden chair, staring down at Sam's lifeless body that was laying on an old, ratty mattress in the middle of the dark room. "I'm not hungry." Bobby stopped in the middle of putting out the food and stared at him.

"Dean. You're always hungry, you're a bottomless pit. Come on. I brought pie and a girl. Your psychic friend." He said, giving Oshea a little push in his direction. "Just eat a little something. Sam wouldn't want you to be this way."

"I said, I'm not hungry." he mumbled again.

"Okay, Dean… I know this is probably…. Look, we need to… we need to bury Sam, Dean." Bobby said slowly.

Dean shook his head, still not looking up. "No, not yet…"

"Dean, we have work to do. If we don't do something soon the world is going to end."

Dean jumped up from the chair. "Then let it end!" He shouted at Bobby, his voice echoing in the empty house. Oshea flinched and curled her arms around her chest. Bobby sighed and shook his head.

"Dean, you don't mean that."

"I don't?" Dean said, raising his eyebrows. "You think I haven't paid enough, you think I haven't given enough? I've done all I could… and I'm done, I'm just done…" He stepped up closer to him, glancing over at Oshea and then back at Bobby. "And if you know what's good for you you'll get the hell out of here now."

Bobby stood there, a mixture of sadness and shock on his face.

"GET OUT!" Dean yelled, and then after a moment, he shook his head, "I'm sorry…"

Bobby frowned and sighed. "Well, you know where I'll be…" He muttered, and pulled along Oshea as they walked out of the house.

A while after Bobby and Oshea left the house, Dean remained in the spot he was before, sitting in the chair staring down at Sam's body. The only light in the room was the moonlight from outside the broken window, reflecting onto his face and Sam's body.

"You know, when we were little… you couldn't have been more than five. You just started asking questions. 'How come we didn't have a mom?' 'Why do we always have to move around?' 'Where'd dad go?' He'd take off days at a time…" Dean paused for a moment. "Remember I begged you to quit asking, Sammy, you don't wanna know… I just wanted you to be a kid, just for a little while longer. I always tried to protect you. Keep you safe. Dad didn't even have to tell me.. It was always my responsibility, you know. It's like I had one job… that one job… and I screwed it up." His voice broke and tears welled in his eyes. "I blew it. And for that I'm sorry," a couple of tears escaped from his dark green eyes and he lifted a hand to wipe them away. "I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. I let dad down, and now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do, Sammy? What am I supposed to do?" He inhaled sharply and sat back a moment before standing up and kicking the chair. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"

Oshea was sitting on a stiff, old chair on the front porch, her arms curled around herself. Tears were running silently down her face. "This is my fault." She said, sniffing. "When I… when I had the vision and we couldn't get him on the phone… I should have come and told Dean in person. Maybe this… maybe it wouldn't have happened." Bobby had left, but Oshea had opted to remain behind. She was very worried about Dean, and wanted to make sure that he was going to be alright. She flinched when she heard his muffled yelling and the chair skittering across the floor inside. She closed her eyes and brought a hand to her mouth, covering it to stifle a small sob. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and the door open and slam shut. "Dean?" She opened her eyes and stood up, carefully walking down the building's front steps. "Dean!"

The Impala roared to life and tore down the drive, skidding and going down the dirt road. Oshea took a few steps after it, but there was no way she could follow. "DEAN!"

Back at the house, Oshea was pacing on the porch, pausing every once and a while to turn in the direction of the road, listening for Dean's car. "Dean, where did you go…?" She whispered to herself with a soft sigh. Inside, Sam's eyes suddenly opened and he jerked up in the bed with a gasp. He looked around the room slowly, not knowing where he was or what had happened. The last thing he could remember was walking down the road toward Dean, then a terrible pain, and then nothing. His eyes fell on Ella who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Ella?" He whispered.

Ella leapt off of the bed, stumbling backwards, her eyes wide. "SAM?" She backed away against the rotting wall of the house. "Sam… you're alive?"

Sam stood up slowly, grimacing a bit in pain as he walked toward her slowly. "Yeah, yeah… I'm okay. What happened? When did you get here?" He paused and looked around the room again. "Where's Oshea? Is she alright? We got separated back at the ghost town… she was attacked."

Ella did not take her eyes off Sam. "Jake… he stabbed you, right in the back… you were… you were dead…"

Sam's brows furrowed as he watched her. He looked away from her and stepped away toward a mirror, tugging up his shirt and looking over his shoulder at the reflection of his back in the glass. There was a scar on his back from where he had been stabbed. He grimaced and held his shirt with one hand while he brushed his fingertips against the wound with the other hand. "I… I died…?"

Ella stepped forward, standing behind Sam and slowly moved her hands towards the scar and brushing it gently, biting her lip as she hoped it wouldn't hurt him. Sam flinched slightly and closed his eyes, feeling his cheeks darken with a slight blush as he felt her fingers against his bare skin. He let his shirt fall down over the wound and turned to face Ella. "I really… I died?" He swallowed hard then his face grew very serious. "Ella… where is Dean?"

Ella frowned a little. "Well, we thought you were dead, at least… Maybe… maybe we were wrong…" She was quiet for a moment before nodding her head in the direction of the door. "He took off a while ago… He should be back soon…"

Sam swallowed hard, his jaw tight. He cursed and shook his head. "I have to find him." He said, stepping toward the door as quickly as he could.

Ella followed quickly behind him and hurried in front of him, stopping him from going through the door. "Sam… you need to lay down, rest a little. You… you died. Or almost died."

"That's what scares me, Ella. If I did die then how am I back now?" He said darkly. "I am going to find my brother, and when I do…" He let his voice trail off as he moved by her and went through the door onto the porch. "Oshea?" he said, taking the girl's hand to stop her from pacing.

The girl screamed and stiffened, bringing a hand to her lips. "S-Sam…?"

"Yeah, Oshea. It's me. Where is Dean? Did he say where he was going?"

Oshea shook her head. "No… he went driving off in that direction." She said, pointing down the path that the Impala had taken. Sam nodded and started down the front steps.

Just as they were walking down the steps of the abandoned home, the familiar black '67 Chevy Impala pulled up onto the grassy area in front of the house. Dean stepped out of the car, his eyes on the ground, but when he looked up, his eyes widened at Sam. "Sammy… good to see you up and around," he said, scratching the back of his neck a little nervously.

Sam walked carefully down the stairs. "What did you do, Dean?"

"What do you mean, Sammy? I just went to go get us some food," he said, holding up his hand to show him the McDonalds bag he was carrying. "I didn't figure you'd wake up before I got back."

Sam narrowed his eyes, keeping them locked with his brother's. "That's funny. Ella says that I died, and Oshea nearly had a heart attack when I talked to her." He said lowly. "WHAT DID YOU DO, DEAN!" He shouted. He grimaced in pain and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.

Dean's eyes widened a little and he was quiet for a moment. "I swear Sammy, I didn't do anything. Bobby patched you up and left, and I stayed a little while and then I figured you'd be starving when you woke up, so I went and got us some food. That's it, I swear."

"You can't patch up a wound like this, Dean." Sam said, walking closer toward him. "And what about Ella and Oshea? And there is tons of food getting cold on the table in there." He said, pointing back toward the house. "Untouched food. We would have had plenty… you lie as easily as you breathe… but I really hope you wouldn't lie like this to me… not about something important."

Dean felt like telling him then and there, but he couldn't. Not yet. "Bobby could. And he did. That's the truth."

Sam watched him a long moment then sighed and nodded. "Alright, Dean." He said quietly. "I am kind of hungry." He added, eyeing the bags of food. "Let's eat." He turned his back on his brother and walked back up the steps, going back into the house. Oshea put her hand down on the old banister and walked to Dean.

"Dean… Bobby didn't patch Sam up," She whispered. "Where did you really go?"

Dean looked at the ground. "Like I said… I just went to go food," He said quietly, starting to walk past her into the house. Oshea shook her head and stepped in front of him.

"Dean. I was there, you can't fool me. Sam was dead. Bobby was talking about burying him. You stormed out of the house and you expect me to believe Sam just magically came back from the dead?" She whispered, her brows furrowing.

Dean sighed deeply, turning around and leading her away from the entrance of the house. "Listen… you… you can't tell Sammy. I just… I couldn't let him die. He's my brother."

Oshea sighed and swallowed hard. "You… you made a deal, didn't you?" She whispered sadly. She turned her head away, curling her arms around herself. "How… how long do you have?" Her voice was a little unsteady.

"One year," He said, looking down at the ground.

Oshea gave a little gasp and lifted a hand, covering her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. "Only a year…?" She whispered weakly, turning to face him.

Dean nodded and then cleared his throat. "We should uh, we should go inside. I got you and Ella something to eat, too."

Oshea shook her head slowly, tilting it down. "You go ahead. I'll be in there in a minute."

Dean nodded his head a bit and then walked into the house.


	9. When The War Comes

Bobby pushed himself up and walked to the door after he heard the knocking. When he opened the door and saw Sam and Dean standing there, his eyes grew wide and he immediately looked to Dean. Sam smiled and stepped inside, giving Bobby a clap on the shoulder, "Thanks for patching me up, man." He said, moving further into the house. Bobby arched a brow at Dean, giving him a meaningful look. "Sure thing, Sam…" Oshea stepped in, her eyes a little red from crying. She was silent as she moved into the house and find herself a chair. Bobby continued to stare at Dean. "You know, Dean… there are a few books I want to show you all out in the truck. Come and help me get them, would you?"

Dean stood there for a moment before following after Bobby into the salvage yard. As soon as they were out of earshot, Bobby grabbed the lapels of Dean's jacket and shoved him against one of the cars. "You _idjit_." He snapped furiously.

Dean didn't even try to struggle, he knew he deserved it. He deserved even more than that. "I had to do it, Bobby…"

"You _had_ to?" Bobby said with a frown. "You _had _to." He cursed and pulled Dean away just to shove him into the truck again. "How long until they come for you?"

"One year…" Dean said quietly. "They gave me one year."

"And what do you think Sam is going to say when he finds out? Have you told him?"

Dean shook his head. "I can't tell him. I remember how I felt when I found out dad sold his soul for me, it won't do Sam any good to go through that like I had to."

"You should have thought of that before you made the deal, Dean." Bobby said, leaning closer to him. "What are you going to do in a year when they come for you? How are you going to explain that to Sam? How do you think he's going to feel then?"

Tears welled in Dean's eyes as she shook his head. "I don't know… but… I couldn't let him, die. Bobby. I just couldn't."

Bobby shook his head and released Dean with a jerk. "I should throttle you for this." He said lowly.

"What, and send me downstairs ahead of schedule?" Dean said, smirking wryly.

"This isn't funny, Dean!" Bobby said, narrowing his eyes. He sighed and stepped away, going to his truck and gathering up the books he had been referring to. "Just get inside, idjit. We have a lot of work to do."

Dean nodded quietly and picked up a pile of the books and carried it back inside Bobby's house. Sam looked up as they walked back in. "You guys sure took a long time." He said. Bobby ignored him and walked over to the table where he had sat out a map that he had marked.

"So what are we dealing with?" Sam said.

"Well I found something… I'm just not sure what it means. Demon omens like a friggin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths, lightning storms. They've skyrocketed out of nowhere. Here," Bobby said, pulling out a wrinkled map and circling the state of Wyoming with his finger. "Except for one place. Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that one area's totally clean, spotless," Bobby replied. "It's almost as if…"

"What?"

"…the demons are surrounding it," Bobby finished.

"But you don't know why?"

"No, and by this point, my eyes are swimming."

Just after he finished speaking, Oshea stiffened, lifting a hand to her head, feeling the familiar pain as it coursed through her. She clutched her head with her hands as the pain intensified and her breathing became shallow. She tightly closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as images began to swirl in her mind. She saw a burnt and collapsed building still faintly smoking and a safe tucked neatly beneath the debris. The images flickered and the safe's combination lock spun this way and that until there was a loud metallic thud. With a loud creak, the door of the safe swung open and a map fluttered out onto the ground; a map with five X's scrawled onto it. "D-Dean…. Dean!" Oshea stammered.

Dean was sitting at the table at this point, glancing through old books when he heard Oshea's cries. Jumping from the table, he ran over to her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Map," She choked out. "Get a map… and a pen or marker, something. Hurry!"

Dean nodded and ran over towards one of Bobby's desks and rummaged through the drawers until he found a map and a black pen. He quickly brought them back over to Oshea, nearly tripping over one of the books that had fallen off the table. Oshea shuddered. "Alright, Dean… I can't see to do this myself so I'm going to dictate to you. The map I'm seeing is of a part of Wyoming. There are five places on the map marked with X's. I'll give you the coordinates," She said, her voice a little strained from the pain. She began to recite the numbers of the places that she was seeing.

As she said the coordinates out loud, Dean marked each one with a black X, until there was five X's on the map of Wyoming. As soon as she finished with the numbers, the images began to fade, and the pain eased away until it was gone completely. Oshea slowly dropped her hands from her head and took in a deep breath slowly. "Do those places mean anything to you?" She said, her brows furrowing.

Bobby walked over and looked over Dean's shoulder, frowning thoughtfully at the map. "Let me see that." He took it from Dean and looked it over. "I'll do a little research and see what I can come up with."

He returned a few moments with a thick, dusty brown book. "I don't believe it…" he muttered.

"You got something?" Dean asked, leaning forward at the table.

"A lot more than something. Each of these X's," He said, pointing at the map. "is an abandoned frontier church, all mid-19th century. And all of them made by Samuel Colt."

Ella raised her eyebrows. "Samuel Colt? The Samuel Colt? The demon-killing, gun-making Samuel Colt?"

"Yep," Bobby nodded. "And there's more. He built private railway lines connecting church to church. That just _happens _to lay out like this," He said, connecting all of the X's with a black sharpie, until it became a five pointed star.

Dean stared at the map. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's a Devil's Trap…" Ella muttered.

"A hundred-square-mile Devil's Trap," Sam added in.

"That's brilliant…" Oshea said quietly. "Iron lines, demon's can't cross…"

"I've never heard of anything that massive," Ella said.

"No one has," Bobby said.

"After all these years none of the lines are broken? I mean, it still works?" Dean asked.

"Definitely," Sam said.

"How do you know?"

"All those omens Bobby found," Sam said, "I mean, the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

"Yeah, well, they're trying…" Bobby said.

"Why? What's inside?" Oshea asked.

"That's what I've been looking for… there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle," Dean said, leaning over and poking the middle of the Devil's Trap.

"Why? What's so important about a cemetery? What's Colt trying to protect?" Sam asked.

"Unless…"

"Unless what?" Bobby asked, looking at Dean.

"What if Colt wasn't trying to keep demons out? What if he was trying to keep something in?" Dean continued.

"Well that's a comforting thought," Oshea said, leaning back in the chair.

"Yeah, you think?" Dean replied.

"Could they do it? Could they get inside?" Sam whispered, his brows furrowing.

"This thing's so powerful you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it." Bobby said with a shake of his head. "There's no way a full blood demon gets across."

"No…" Sam said very quietly. "But I know who could…"

Moonlight surrounded Jake as he stepped into the cemetery, the Colt carefully tucked away in his pocket. As he passed by a tall headstone, Dean stealthily moved around the side of it, stepping backwards out of view, a pistol in his right hand. He watched as Jake approached the large iron doors of a crypt.

"Howdy, Jake." Sam said as he stepped from his hiding place holding a gun at eye level. Bobby stepped out as well along with Ella and Oshea, all of which were pointing guns at Jake.

Jake stared at Sam. "Oh you… You were dead. I killed you."

"Yeah," Sam smirked. "Well next time finish the job."

"I did. I cut clean through your spinal cord, man."

Sam made a face and looked over at Dean, who stared at the ground for a moment. Bobby looked over at them and then back at Jake.

"You can't be alive. You can't be." Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Now, just take it easy there, son." Bobby said calmly.

"And if I don't?" Jake narrowed his eyes, looking away from Sam to face Bobby.

"Wait and see." Sam growled, tightening his hold on the gun.

"What, you a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you gonna do? Kill me?" He said, arching a brow.

"Just a thought." Sam said with a little smirk.

"You had your chance. You couldn't." Jake reminded him.

"I won't make that mistake twice."

Jake laughed, and Dean inclined his head, looking at him incredulously. "What are you laughing for?"

Jake looked away from Dean and stared at Ella. "Hey, lady." he said slowly, looking into her eyes. "Do me a favor… put that gun to your head." He murmured, his eyes flickering briefly. Ella's brows furrowed and she gave a little gasp as her hands lifted, twisting her gun so that it's barrel pressed against her temple. She stiffened, grunting and her hands trembling as she tried to lower them, but to no avail. "That Ava girl was right, once you give into it there's all sorts of new Jedi Mind tricks you can learn."

"Let her go!" Dean shouted, but Jake only smirked.

Ella swallowed hard. "Just shoot him." She said through gritted teeth.

"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off," Jake said casually, shaking his head. "Now, everybody put your guns down… except you, sweetheart," he added, smiling at Ella.

Everyone exchanged glances, and within a few moments all of their guns clattered to the ground. Sam hesitated, but Jake gave him a glare. Sam lifted his hands in surrender and slowly dropped his gun. "Okay thank you," Jake said sweetly before turning his back to them and rushing toward the crypt. When he reached it, he pressed the barrel of the Colt into the middle of an intricate lock binding the two halves of the crypt's doors together. The designs on the lock began to twist as the doors started to open.

Bobby and Dean immediately ran over to Ella and pulled the gun away from her, it firing a bullet into the air. Ella gave a little cry of alarm as the gun fired, trembling nervously. Sam narrowed his eyes and stepped away from the group, lifting his gun and firing it once… twice… thrice. The bullets slammed into Jake's back, spraying blood. The gun was fired a fourth time, and Jake, blood spurting from his mouth, staggered and fell onto his back in front of the door. Sam circled around him slowly, a look of utter hatred on his face as he moved to stand in front of Jake. He aimed the gun at the fallen, gasping man, his eyes narrowed.

"Please…" Jake choked out around the blood.

Sam clenched his jaw and fired three more times into the man's chest, watching the blood bubbled from the new wounds and drenched the fabric of Jake's shirt and jacket.

Ella walked towards the large doors of the mausoleum, staring at Sam for a moment as she passed, followed Oshea, clinging on to her sister's arm, followed by Bobby, and then Dean, who stood and stared at Sam for a moment. Sam looked at his brother a moment then lifted a hand and began to wipe the blood off of his face slowly.

The designs on the lock continued spinning, and then it stopped.

"Oh, no…"

"Bobby, what is it?" Oshea whispered quietly.

"It's Hell." Bobby replied.


	10. Work To Do

Dean walked over to the door, twisting the Colt and pulling it out of it.

"Take cover now!" Bobby shouted and they all began to run away from the doors. Dean grabbed and picked up Oshea, who was standing off a little ways to herself, confused at what was happening. Oshea gave a little squeak of alarm and threw her arms around Dean's neck, burying her face against his chest as he broke into a run. Suddenly she felt a sensation of weightlessness and she flipped over before thudding to the ground, still in Dean's arms. She was clinging to his neck tightly and her eyes were wide.

"D-Dean… please don't ever do that again." She said weakly.

The doors of the mausoleum suddenly broke open, expelling a large cloud of black smoke. The smoke split into separate directions and flew into the air as fiery waves of energy shot down the railway lines, causing them to break and to curl backward onto itself.

Several more separate lines of black smoke continued to erupt from the open doors. As the clouds of smoke became thinner, ghosts of people began to walk through the doors, flickering in and out of view. Fire was visible down inside of the mausoleum.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean said, having to yell over the sound of the smoke.

"That's a Devil's Gate, it's a door to Hell!" Bobby shouted back, taking cover next to Ella behind a headstone. "Come on, we gotta shut that gate!" He said, pulling himself up. Sam went too, and Ella followed closely behind, going over to Oshea and pulling her along to the door.

Dean stood up and looked down at the Colt. "If the demon gave this to Jake…then maybe-" Dean stood there for a moment and then turned around, cocking the gun.

With a swift hand movement by Yellow Eyes, the gun flew out of Dean's hand and landed in his own. "Boy shouldn't play with Daddy's guns," He said with a smirk. He jerked his head, and Dean flew headfirst at a headstone, smacking his forehead on the edge of it and then toppling over onto the ground, leaving a large, bleeding gash across his forehead.

Sam, Bobby, Ella and Oshea were pressing as hard as they could against the door as more and more of the dark clouds began to shoot out into the night. Sam leaned his back against the door, grunting and closing his eyes as he dug his feet into the ground. He turned and saw Dean as he struck the headstone and fell to the ground. His eyes widened. "Dean!"

Yellow Eyes smirked at Sam before walking towards Dean. Sam broke into a run after him, but was flung backwards by a wave of Yellow Eyes' hand, that was still holding the Colt. Yellow Eyes glanced backwards as Sam was pinned against one of the trees in the cemetery. "I'll get to you in a minute, champ. But I'm proud of you! I knew you had it in ya." He looked back over at Dean, who was slowly trying to get away, and flung him back against the gravestone. "Sit a spell."

"So, Dean," He said, kneeling down in front of him. "I gotta thank you. You see, demons can't resurrect people unless a deal is made." He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I know, red tape, it'll make you nuts. But thanks to you, Sammy's back in rotation," he said with a chuckle. "Now, I wasn't counting on that, but I'm glad. I liked him better than Jake anyhow." He smirked at Dean, who returned it with a glare.

"Tell me, you ever heard the expression: 'If a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is'?" Yellow said, grinning.

"You call that deal good?"

"Ah, it's a better shake than your Dad ever got. And you never wondered why," he said, waving a finger at Dean and moved a little closer. "I'm surprised at you. I mean, you saw what your brother just did to Jake, right? That was pretty cold, wasn't it?" He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and laughed. "How certain are you that what your brought back is 100 percent.. pure… Sam?" He laughed again. "After everything you've been through. Everything you've- You of all people should know that what's dead should stay dead." Yellow Eyes stood up. "Anyway… thanks a bunch! I knew I kept you alive for some reason. Until now, anyway." He paused. "I couldn't have done it without your pathetic self-loathing, self -destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family." He smiled and raised the Colt, aiming it at Dean.

Just as he was about to shoot, John Winchester appeared behind him and grabbed him, jerking a dark cloud from the body. The cloud threw him backwards and reentered the lifeless form on the ground. Glaring and gritting his teeth angrily, Yellow Eyes stood to his feet. Dean aimed the Colt, that he had taken from him while the demon was out of his body, and cocked it. Yellow Eyes' eyes widened. Dean pulled the trigger. The engraved bullet struck Yellow Eyes' chest, and light flashed a couple of times in the place where he had been shot, lighting up his skeleton and ribcage as a thin cloud of smoke seeped through the gunshot wound. It flashed one last time before he fell to the cold ground, the yellow in his eyes fading.

Sam dropped from the tree with a grunt and stood up, going over slowly to Dean. Oshea, Ella, and Bobby finally slammed the doors of the crypt closed and the gears of the lock twisted back into place. Bobby turned to look for Sam and Dean, only to find himself staring at John. John slowly rose to his feet. Sam's eyes grew wide as he saw his father standing there in front of him. Dean stood up and stared in disbelief as his father walked to him and put his hands on his elder son's shoulders, smiling with teary eyes.

Sam stood off to one side, tears gathering in his eyes. When his father turned and offered him a smile, Sam gave him a little nod, but he stayed where he was. John turned back to Dean, a tear running down his cheek. He stepped backwards, glancing at the both of them as his body flickered then burst into dust that dissipated into the night air. Dean stared in the place his father had been standing with his eyes gleaming with unreleased tears. He glanced to Sam, seeing that a few tears were running down his cheeks.

They both stepped toward the Yellow Eyes' body, whose wound was still smoking.

"Well, check that off the to do list." Dean said, looking up at his brother.

"You did it," Sam said with a shocked smile.

"I didn't do it alone."

"Do you think Dad really-? You think he really climbed out of Hell?"

"A door was open. If anyone's stubborn enough to do it, it'd be him."

"Where do you think he is now?"

"I don't know."

"I kind of can't believe it, Dean. Our whole lives, everything, has been prepping for this and now I- I kind of don't know what to say."

"I do," Dean said before he knelt down beside of the body. "That was for our mom."

As they reached the Impala, Sam sighed and looked at his brother, leaning against the trunk of the car. "I asked you, Dean…" He began slowly. "After I heard what Ella said, saw Oshea's reaction… the look on Bobby's face when he saw me… and now Jake… he said he sawed through my spinal cord." He said quietly. "I _asked_ you, Dean. I specifically asked you if I had died… if you had done something to bring me back. And you said no… and like an idiot I believed you."

Dean shook his head, walking around the side of the car. "Sam…"

"Will you tell me the truth for once, Dean? Please?" He said, looking up at him. "Did you make a deal?"

Dean sighed, and was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, Sammy, I did."

"How long…?" Sam said, lowering his eyes.

Dean looked down at the ground and cleared his throat. "They gave me one year," he said, looking away. Sam lifted his eyes again sharply, staring at his brother as his throat grew tight.

"A… a year? Dean… Dean, you shouldn't have done this. Why did you do this?"

Dean looked at Sam incredulously. "Why would I do this? Sammy, you're my little brother. I have to look out for you. I had to do this. I promised I would look out for you, and that's exactly what I did."

"Dean, you've saved my life over and over… don't you think I'd do the same for you…," He sighed and shook his head, looking away. "I'm going to find a way to get you out of this." He nodded, not looking at his brother. "I'm going to find a way."

Dean smiled. "Yeah."

"Well," Ella said as she approached the two brothers, Bobby and Oshea following close behind. "Yellow-Eyed Demon might be dead, but a lot more got through that gate."

"How many you think?" Dean asked.

"A hundred, maybe 200. It's an army," Sam said. "He's unleashed an army."

Bobby shook his head. "Hope you guys are ready, 'cause the war's just begun."

"Well then… " Dean grinned.

Oshea and Ella walked toward the two of them. Oshea smiled. "We're going to help, too."

Sam brightened a little glancing toward Ella briefly before looking back to Oshea. "I thought you'd both go back to Scotland."

Oshea shook her head, looking to Dean and saying quietly. "We only have a year… I want to spend it here… not across an ocean from you. Besides," She said, talking more loudly. "We have to figure out a way to get you out of this."

Dean smiled. "Alright then, guess we've got work to do."

_**A/N: End of "season two" in this story. We kind of killed off Ellen… well, technically we didn't really. We just didn't write her into the story XD It's not that we don't like Ellen, no, we think she's totally awesome. But we had so many characters to write for in these past chapters, we didn't feel it was necessary. **_


	11. Stray Cat Blues

_**A/N: Story skips ahead over halfway through season three, nine months after Dean's deal.**_

NINE MONTHS LATER

Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Norah Gilmore walked down the empty sidewalk, the strap of a black messenger bag slung over her shoulder, and a book held against her chest. Her long, chocolate brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a Twilight hoodie overtop a dark red shirt. She hummed a song to herself as she passed by a patch of trees, her high top Converses tapping along on the sidewalk. As she walked by the trees, she heard a soft meowing coming from the branches of the tree. Sitting up in the top of the tree was black cat with a white face and a white stripe that ran down its neck and over its belly. It flicked its tail as it looked down at the girl.

Norah looked up at the cat and smiled. "Well hello, there," She said, walking over to the tree and looking up at it. "Here, kitty kitty kitty…" She called, but the cat merely stared down at her. Norah frowned a bit, and stood for a moment before dropping her messenger bag by her feet and sitting the book she had been carrying, on top of it. She pulled off the hoodie and tossed it aside, looking up at the tree. _Looks pretty easy to climb, _she thought, and then pulled herself onto the bottom branch and started climbing.

The cat continued to stare at her as she climbed up the tree. When she reached the branch it was on, the cat stood up onto its feet. It stared at her a moment longer then as she reached for it, the cat lurched forward with a screech and pinned her against the thick trunk of the tree. Norah soon found herself bound to the tree with thick ropes. The cat hopped onto the girl's chest, clinging to her shirt with its claws. It waited until it was up to her face before it opened its mouth wide, staring into the girl's eyes as it inhaled slowly, drawing a pale smoke from the girl's mouth.

Norah's eyes widened, and when the cat stopped, and the smoke had stopped flowing from her mouth, she slumped forward, unconscious. The cat snapped its wide mouth closed and hopped down off of her chest onto the branch. It licked its paws, cleaning its head casually before it leapt down from the branch and down onto sidewalk, darting off into the woods.

After a few minutes, Norah woke up, and lifted her head, her eyes darting around to look where she was. "I can hear them singing to me… the bees… they're singing 'The Cow Jumped Over The Moon'….."

TWO WEEKS LATER

The motel sat on the corner of the street; the letter O on the motel's red neon rope lights was flickering and buzzing lowly, casting a flashing red light on the black Impala that sat in the parking space out in front. Sam was laying on his stomach on the bed, the covers twisting around his middle and drooping over to the floor into a pool of burgundy, flower patterned comforters and sheets. He, his brother and the girls had gotten a room to get a few hours sleep after completing a job. Oshea was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee in the room by the window, which was covered with the thick burgundy curtains. Since learning about Dean's deal, she had not been able to sleep without nightmares of Dean dying in various ways. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes with her thumb and middle finger. The dreams had been getting worse as the year started to draw to a close. She could not believe in three months, Dean's bill would be due and he would die.

Dean was laying on the other queen sized bed a couple of feet away from Sam's bed. His green eyes fluttered open and he rolled over in the bed, looking over at Oshea, sitting up. "You okay?" He stretched for a moment before swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Oshea took another sip of the coffee then turned her head toward him, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, forcing a small smile. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

Dean rubbed his eyes a little. "Nah, just… bad dreams," he said with a shrug. "What are you doing up?"

"Bad dreams," She said slowly, drinking down the last of the coffee in her cup. "I made coffee." She said, standing and walked over to the pot. "Want some?"

"Sure," He said, nodding and standing up from the bed and walking over to her. "Not like I'm going to get any sleep anyhow." He smiled weakly.

"That makes two of us," She said, pouring some coffee into a cup for him and handing it over. She filled her cup again and sat down at the table, running a hand through her hair. "So… you're having nightmares? Anything you want to talk about?"

Dean shook his head. "Just the usual spooks," he said, taking a sip of his coffee and then sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Nothing I can't handle."

Oshea nodded slowly, drumming the tips of her fingers against the side of the cup. "Dean, I-" She stopped as Dean's cell phone started to ring.

Dean picked up his cell phone from the nightstand, putting the coffee cup in its place. He flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Dean?" Bobby's voice said on the other line. "I know it's late… well, early. But I think I have a case for you. Washington Depot, Connecticut. Norah Gilmore, found tied to a tree babbling like a madwoman. No history of mental illness in the family, no drugs in her system, she was a normal girl, made good grades, has a nice family life, friends. And she's not the first. There have been three other cases of people being found in trees, mad as a hatter."

Dean pulled out a pad of motel stationary and a pen from the drawer in the nightstand, scribbling down the girl's name, and the location. "Thanks, Bobby. We'll check it out."

"Good luck. If I find out anymore I'll let you know. Call if you need anything." He said before hanging up. Oshea's brows furrowed.

"What's going on? New case for us?"

"Couple of crazies found tied up in trees, all with no history of mental illness. Sounds like our kinda gig," he replied.

She took another drink of coffee and nodded, standing up. "Alright, then. Guess we should wake up the others."

Dean nodded and stood up, walking over to Ella, who was sound asleep, huddled underneath a blanket on the small couch on the opposite side of the room, and shook her shoulders. "Wakey, wakey."

Ella grumbled something and pulled the blanket over her head. "Nuh-uh."

Oshea finished off her coffee and shook her head. "That's not how you do it." She grabbed a pillow from the bed that Dean had been sleeping on and walked over to where Ella was and swung the pillow, smacking Ella in the head. "Get up, Ella."

Ella sat up and glared at her sister. "Why did you do that?"

"We have a new case, Ella. We need to pack up and get going." She said, feeling her way over to the chair she had been sleeping in, gathering up the blanket she had been using. She knelt down and ran her hand over the floor, finding her suitcase and stuffing the blanket inside.

Ella sighed. "I got like, two hours of sleep," She grumbled, walking to the bathroom to grab her toothbrush from the edge of the sink.

"You guys can catch a few z's on the way," Dean said as he walked over to Sam's bed to wake him up. "Hey, rise and shine, Sammy."

Sam groaned softly and pushed himself up onto one elbow, "It's like… four in the morning. What's up?" He said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes.

"Bobby found a case," Dean replied. "I'll explain it on the way."


	12. Crazy Train

Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Sam stepped into the hotel room, dropping down his suitcase on the foot of one of the beds. The wallpaper was a cornflower blue and had ivory designs running up from the molding that ran around the middle of the room. The beds were clothed in the same colors and designs. Sam pulled out his laptop and set it up on one of the tables, plugging it into the wall and switching it on. Oshea stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of the other bed. "So people have been turning up tied to trees and suddenly crazy? Do the victims have anything in common?"

Sam shook his head. "Not that I can tell right now. The first victim was a guy named Derek Jenkins, the next was a girl named Ashley Wyllis, then Amber Frye, and now Norah Gilmore. Derek was twenty three, worked at a office not far from here in tech support, still lived at home, taking care of his aging mother. Ashley Wyllis was twelve, top of her class, stable home life. Amber Frye, she was eighteen, worked at the mall, typical artistic goth type, lived with her mom and younger brother. And Norah Gilmore, seventeen, average normal girl, Twilight fan." He said with a shrug.

Both Ella and Dean exchanged glances, arching a brow.

"Well, we know why one of them was targeted," Oshea said quietly.

"But I mean… the two teenagers didn't even go to the same school." Sam said, shaking his head. "It doesn't make sense."

Dean shook his head. "The victims have to have something in common, they always do," he said, and sighed. "We'll have to pay some of the victims a visit, then, see if they remember anything from their attacks."

"You mean we're going to have to go into an asylum? What are we going to pretend that we're crazy?" Sam asked, arching a brow as he looked over at his brother.

"I figured we'd just dress up like we work there, but that works too," Dean said, shrugging.

"Well, we should cover all of our bases. Some of us could work there and the others could be patients. I mean, patients might not want to talk to just anyone, but one of their own? They might open up more to them."

Ella spoke up. "That sounds like a pretty good plan. So, who's gonna do what?"

"Well, I took a few psychology classes back in the day," Oshea said with a shrug. "I probably could fake being a doctor."

Dean nodded his head. "Well then the two of us can work as doctors, then, and we can have Sam and Ella get thrown in the loony bin."

Sam stood up from the table. "Hey wait just a minute, how did I get picked to be the crazy one?"

"Here, here," Ella chimed in.

Oshea smirked, "I think it's a perfect fit for you, Ella. Look it won't be for long. Just long enough for us to figure out a connection between the victims."

Ella raised her brows at Oshea. "Well, thanks, sis." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess it would be a good way to figure out what's going on. Get to know the crazy folks, see if we can make out anything real from the nonsense."

Sam shrugged. "Well… if you're in, then I am, too."

Oshea took a deep breath as she stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the Turtle Creek Asylum. She was wearing a tight fitting shirt with three buttons just below the neckline and a small pocket on the left side; only one of the shirt's buttons was buttoned. A straight black skirt that reached to the middle of her thighs hugged her hips. Her feet were pressed into a pair of heeled shoes. Her long red hair was pulled up into a professional bun with two hair chopsticks pressed into it, making an X. She wore a pair of dark glasses and was carrying her cane. She turned toward Dean as he stepped out of the Impala. "Do I look alright?" She asked, smoothing the front of her skirt down.

Dean stepped out of the Impala, wearing a long sleeved, white button up shirt, and a dark blue tie. He closed the car door behind him and walked over Oshea, his eyes widening a bit as he looked at her. "You look... great," he replied.

Oshea smiled a little, blushing slightly. "Thanks, and I'm sure you look amazing," She said, winking at him. She stretched out her cane and ran it across the ground as she approached the asylum.

Sam took a deep breath and glanced to Ella as they sat in the office of one of the asylum's doctors, waiting for him to arrive. "You ready, Elz?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to convince them we belong here," Ella replied with a little smile. The door creaked open and a middle aged man with a white coat and black rimmed glasses stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He was holding two tan folders as he sat down and looked at the two of them before opening one of the folders, scanning his over the page, and then doing the same with the other folder. "Alright, we'll start with you, Alex. How are you feeling?"

Sam looked up as the man entered and sighed a little. "You know, Doctor. I really don't know why I'm here, but my girlfriend here seems to think that I should see a shrink. I mean... I guess I'm feeling a little depressed." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"Alright," the doctor said, starting to write on a piece of paper on a clipboard. "Any idea why?" He said, not looking up

"I think because my mother died in a fire a while back." Sam said, his brows furrowing. "See, she was killed by this Yellow Eyed demon. My family, we're monster hunters, and so my brother and I decided to go after the demon. And then I got kidnapped and woke up in this ghost town with all kinds of psychic kids and demons and I got stabbed in the back and I died. But my brother made a deal with the crossroads demon and brought me back to life. Only now, my brother only has one year left to live and after that year is up, which is in three months by the way, the demon is going to take his soul down to Hell. I feel kind of bad about it.. you know, I mean it's my fault..."

The doctor slowly lifted his head, looking up from the clipboard and arching a brow at Sam. "I... see..."

Sam nodded. "That's about it... so you can tell my sweet girlfriend that I'm just fine and I don't need any sort of therapy. I can sort this out myself." He said with a smile.

Ella laughed bitterly and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. We let hundreds of demons through that Devil's Gate back in Wyoming. Earlier this year we faced the seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh. Dean is going to Hell in three months, and all of that isn't getting to you?"

The doctor stared at the two of them, then clearing his throat, he picked up the phone on his desk, pressing a button as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Sarah, yes... cancel my lunch." He said before slowly putting it back down on the receiver, not putting his eyes off Sam and Ella.

A petite nurse stepped into the room after the doctor had finally left and offered the pair a sweet smile. "The doctor would like to keep you here a few days for observation." She said, hugging a pink translucent clipboard to her chest. "If you'll just follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."


	13. Dear Doctor

Dean placed his hand on Oshea's back, leading her through the front door of the building. "Ready?" he asked her, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

Oshea nodded slowly, turning her head slightly toward him. "Ready as I'll ever be." She said quietly.

The door of the asylum opened up into a blindingly white room with a few plain beige chairs on metal legs pushed against one wall. In front of the chairs was a pair of long squat tables that were also the dull beige color. A few bland magazines rested on them; one table had them neatly stacked, the other had them scattered. Even so, they still looked unnaturally neat. In front of them sat an open office where nurses were calmly drifting in and out, gathering things from file cabinets and sitting at one of the tiny cubicles pressed together, each with a single computer with a squared monitor. There was a door to the left of the nurses' station that led into a narrow hallway which branched off to the right and left. The walls of the hallway were lined with doors that led into the patients rooms There was also a set of double doors that led into the gymnasium like center of the building where the cafeteria was housed. The showers were located on the opposite side of the cafeteria's wall, but there were no doors from the cafeteria to the large shower room. The only entrance and exit to it was a pair of doors located on the opposite end of the building. As the pair stepped toward the nurses' station, a chubby woman with red hair and glasses smiled up at them. "I take it you are the new doctors? Dr. Snyder, the head doctor here will be here in a moment to show you where your offices will be and give you a little tour."

"Thank you," Dean said, nodding politely and walking with Oshea over to the seating area to wait.

After a few moments, an aging man stepped through the doors and looked up through a pair of thin rimmed glasses at Dean and Oshea, offering a calm, collected smile. "Hello. You must be the transfers." he said, walking toward them. "My name is Dr. Snyder, and you are?" He asked.

Oshea smiled, and offered him her hand as she stood up. "My name is Kristy Knight."

She shook his hand, and Dr. Snyder turned to Dean. "And you?"

Dean held out a hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Brian Young." He smiled.

"Good, good. It's very nice to meet you both. You couldn't have come at a better time. Recently, more and more people have been brought here for treatment," he said with a sigh, his brows furrowing. "It's like an epidemic." Shaking his head, he turned and beckoned for them to follow. "I'll give you a quick tour of the premises and show you both to your offices."

Dean nodded his head and he placed his hand against Oshea's back as they followed the doctor. "Many of the new patients were found tied up in trees, correct?"

"Yes," Dr. Snyder said with a nod, clasping his hands together at the small of his back as he walked. "I have never seen anything like it in all of my years of working at this facility, in this town." He shook his head, his brows furrowing. "Perfectly healthy people suddenly becoming the epitome of mental illness almost overnight... it's unprecedented."

Dean frowned. "It's pretty strange, don't you think?"

The doctor nodded without another word. He led them through the narrow hallways of the establishment, explaining the various rooms and procedures until they had come back to where they started after circling through the halls. "Alright, I'm sure that you are ready to get started." Dr Snyder said with a smile, gesturing toward a wooden door. "This will be your office. I hope you do not mind sharing for the time being. Our facilities are a little cramped lately." He said with a frown.

Oshea smiled and shook her head. "No, we do not mind sharing. We worked together at our last job. We would like to look at the patients that have recently come in, could you arrange a meeting with them?"

The doctor nodded. "Certainly."

After a while, there was a knocking at the door to their office. The door opened and a nurse stood there with a young man wearing a hospital gown. He was staring at the floor, wringing his hands together. His light brown hair was messy and tangled and hung around his face that would have been handsome if it were not so thin. There were large bags under his eyes, which were moving about the room erratically as if he were terribly nervous. The nurse led him into the office and sat him down in one of the chairs. "Dr. Knight, Dr. Young, this is Derek." Derek stared at his hands, wringing them in his lap as he mumbled to himself. The nurse patted his shoulder then looked up at the two doctors. "Page me if you have any problems or when you're done with him." She said, before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind herself.

Dean nodded at him and then sat down behind the desk, next to Oshea. "So, Derek. How are you doing?"

"I can hear them... the bees... they're whispering things to me." He muttered, picking at one of his jagged fingernails.

Dean arched a brow, but tried to remain professional. He cleared his throat. "What do they whisper to you?"

"About the quiet in the silence... about the moon on a string and the cat..." He stammered, shaking his head. "It's cold like May... steals my breath away... it takes it all away." Oshea's brows furrowed and she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she shifted in her seat. None of this was making any sense. How were they going to find out anything from these people if all they spoke was strings of nothingness?

Dean sighed, the exact thought mirroring in his own mind. He leaned forward. They would just have to get right to the point. "Derek. Did you see anything before you were tied to that tree? Anything strange?"

"Trees... breeze... bees... trees..." He brought his hands to his head, twining his fingers through his hair. His brows furrowed. "Trees... cat... bees..." He stammered. "They're whispering so loud... I can hear their wings... humming... they're whispering..."

"Cats?" Dean repeated, arching a brow. "There's a cat?"

"Cat...," Derek repeated slowly. "Just... I was trying... to help... the trees..."

"You were trying to help the trees?" He raised both his brows as he glanced over at Oshea.

"No," The young man said getting frustrated. "In the tree..." He was speaking slowly, deliberately as if it were hard for him to get the words out. "The cat..." He pointed toward the ceiling. "The tree." Oshea's brows lifted in realization.

"The tree! The cat was in the tree and you were trying to help it?"

Derek looked up sharply and bobbed his head. "Help..."

As he finished speaking, there was a soft knock at the door before it was opened. The nurse stood in the doorway with a young girl standing at her side. "Sorry to bother you, but I have to take Derek to get his medication. This is Ashley Wyllis. She was one of the other new cases. Dr. Snyder said you wanted to speak with them all." The nurse lead the twelve year old girl into the room and took Derek away through the door. Ashley looked at the both of them and sat down in the chair, pulling her legs into the cushion and crossing them Indian style.

She sat there a moment, glancing at the two of them. "Let's fast forward through the procedural chit-chat, shall we? You ask me how I'm feeling. 'Oh I was just tied up in a tree, and now I share a room with an over-imaginative thirteen year old who likes to have conversations with her imaginary friend when I'm trying to sleep. I'm super.' I'll reply in a bitter tone, as I roll my eyes at the ridiculous question. Then you'll ask me what I saw, and I'll tell you the truth, but you'll just throw me back into the room with that insufferable little girl and some lovely sedatives. So, we done here?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, and leaned back a little. "Well aren't you a little ray of sunshine," he muttered.

Oshea stretched out a hand and gave Dean a light rap on the arm. "We're supposed to be professionals." She said lowly before turning toward the girl. "Ashley, we just want to help. I know you've probably told other doctors the truth, and the truth is probably what got you sent here, right?" She said, furrowing her brows. "But Dr. Young and I, we are not normal doctors... we want to help you so you can get out of here, away from the little girl that you don't get along with and the drugs and back home where you belong. I'll understand if you don't want to... but... would you at least consider telling us what you saw? Please?"

"What do you mean you're not normal doctors?" Ashley said, arching a brow, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You see, my colleague Dr. Young and I along with being certified doctors also have studied paranormal activity, which means we would be more open minded than your average psychiatrist, and it also means we know what it feels like for people to think you are crazy when you're telling them the truth." Oshea said, clasping her hands together in her lap.

Ashley looked them over for another moment before letting her hands fall in her lap. "I was walking home from a friend's house, and I cut through the park, because it's quicker. I heard a meowing sound coming from the edge of the woods, and I saw a cat up in the trees. I've always been sort of an animal person, so I tried to help it. It wasn't too high up, and the tree was easy to climb. But when I got up there... it... it pushed me against the tree and it pinned me down. I don't know how, but it did. It stretched its cat arms out and just held me there And then there was suddenly rope rapped around me. It made me open my mouth, and it opened its own mouth and then this weird silvery smoke started coming out of my mouth... and... I felt like I was slowly losing a part of myself. My sanity... but someone jogged by in the park, and called my name. Turned out it had been my neighbor, Vicky. The cat jumped off and left me there," She said with a shrug.

Oshea leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she listened to the girl's story. When she was done, Oshea leaned up and nodded. "We believe you, Ashley. We don't think that you're crazy." She said with a smile. "Don't worry, we're going to find out what happened to you and the others. Now, I can't get you out of here today, but I'll make sure and tell the nurses to lighten up on the medication alright?"

Ashley nodded. "Thanks. If you don't mind me asking... what happened to your eyes?"

"Well," Oshea began slowly. "This may be hard to believe, but since you were honest with us, I will be honest with you. I have visions... I, uh... I see things that are going to happen, mostly bad things. My visions became very bad, and I thought that if I couldn't see, I wouldn't be able to see the visions anymore. So I did this," She said, gesturing to her eyes.

Ashley frowned. "So now you're blind and you still have visions? Dude, that sucks."

Oshea gave a soft laugh and nodded. "Tell me about it." She was about to say something else when the nurse once again came into the room. "Hello, doctors. I'm sorry, but I have to get Ashley. The other two new arrivals are with their doctors at the moment, but I'll bring them to you as soon as I can." After the nurse had ushered the young girl out, Oshea took in a deep breath. "Well, at least we've found something that the victims seem to have in common. I wonder how Sam and Ella are doing." She said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "You think we should check on them?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'll go take care of it. You stay here and talk to the other two, all the more information we have, the better," he said, standing up.

Oshea turned her head in his direction as he spoke. "Alright. Be careful." She said as she heard him stand and his fading footsteps as he left the room. She took in a deep breath and settled into the leather chair behind the desk, toying with a pen as she waited on the nurse to come in with the next patients. This case was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. That she knew of, there were no supernatural cat creatures... at least not ones that fed off of other's sanity. She had heard before the old wife's tale about cats climbing onto the chest of children and stealing their breath, but nothing about cats tying people in trees and stealing their sanity.


	14. Oshea, Interrupted

Dean wandered down the halls of the Turtle Creek Asylum, until he found the room a doctor had told him was Sam's room. "Hey, I think we found a connection between all the victims, of what they saw at least."

Sam was sitting up on the bed with his back leaned against the wall. He nodded slowly. "That's good. That is great." He said, his voice a little slurred. "What is the connection?"

"They were all seeing cats before they went loony," Dean said with an eyebrow raise. "Weird, right?"

Sam looked up at him, his brows furrowing. "Cats? That is strange... you'll have to call Bobby and see if he knows what that could mean. I'll try to do some research, but I doubt they'll give me computer privileges just yet. The only thing they've given me is some crazy meds." he said, blinking and shaking his head. "Apparently telling people that you hunt and kill monsters and demons gets you put very high up on the crazy scale."

Dean nodded. "I'll go check up on Ella, then meet back up with Oshea in our office," he chuckled as he started for the door. "We have an office."

"Sure, rub it in that you're not closed up in a tiny room and getting poked with needles and having people think you're insane." Sam said with a huff. "Next time we have to investigate an asylum, you can be the crazy person and I'll be the doctor sitting in the nice office."

After Dean dropped by Ella's room and gave her the heads up about the cat situation, he returned to his and Oshea's office, but Oshea was nowhere to be seen. He asked around, talked to a couple of the nurses, but no one had seen her. He was starting to get worried.

"Dean, where are we going?" Oshea said as she walked from the hospital across the yard toward the garden in the back. He had come back into the office not long after he had left and said that he wanted to check something out. He was walking a bit fast, and he was gripping her arm a little tightly as he led her across the lawn. As they moved through, she could smell the flowers and hear the breeze drifting between the leaves of the trees. Dean stopped abruptly and pulled away from her, and Oshea could hear scraping. "Dean, what are you doing?"

The scraping continued a moment before it stopped. "Climbing the tree," He responded. "I figured we could check out some of the trees around here and see if there was anything strange since the victims were all found in trees."

Oshea's brows furrowed. "Yes, that's true... but weren't most of the victims found in the park? What good would it do to look at these trees?"

She heard Dean give a clipped sigh before he reached down and took her wrist. "Just come up." He did not wait for her answer, but jerked her up and stood her up on a thick branch.

Oshea gasped slightly, "Dean... I don't like this... I'm wearing heels and I can't see, I could fa-" She was unable to finish as she was violently shoved against the trunk of the tree. "Dean! Dean, stop it!" Before she could react, she felt tight ropes tighten about her, pinning her to the tree. Her mouth was suddenly forced open. She started to scream, but it caught in her throat as she felt Dean's lips against hers.

After tearing the inside of the asylum apart looking for her (not literally, although he did run into a few of the nurses while running, sending various trays of food and medicines flying all over the place), he made his way outside, and spotted a patch of trees behind the small garden in the backyard of the asylum. He didn't think twice before breaking into a run towards the trees. "Oshea!"

As he went into the trees, he could hear a voice coming from one of the taller trees in the center of the garden. Oshea was tied tightly against the upper part of the tree's trunk, her hair had fallen down from the bun and was hanging messily by her face. She was squirming against the ropes that held her and her shoes had fallen from her feet because of her struggling. When she heard his voice she gave a cry and began to struggle more, twisting and jerking against the ropes.

As Dean quickly approached the tree and started to climb it, the other Dean let go of Oshea, finished, and gave a wink, vanishing into a cloud of smoke that quickly evaporated into the air. "It's okay, Oshea, it's gone," he said, reaching the branch and cutting her loose from the rope and carefully helping her down from the tree. Oshea screamed as he pulled her down and she pushed herself away from him staggering backwards. She shook her head quickly.

"No! No! It's here! You did this to me." She cried. "You did this..." She began turning her head this way and that. "I hear them now... the bees... they're everywhere. It's so loud.." She whimpered, bringing her hands to her ears.

Dean stared at Oshea for a moment before frowning and looking at the ground "I was too late..." He mumbled, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go inside, Oshea..."

She shook her head again. "I can't... I won't go anywhere with you! Not again... you took everything away." She said, slipping down to the ground and curling up with her knees to her chest. Even though Dean tried to explain that it wasn't really him that had done this to her, she refused to move from where she sat huddled up. Eventually, Dr. Snyder and a nurse had to come out and forcibly bring her in. Once they had gotten her into one of the rooms, Dr. Snyder went back into Dean's office, shaking his head.

"She's sedated and calm now... I just don't understand," he said slowly. "What is going on here..." Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "One of the patients wants to see you. I've told the rest of the staff that no one is allowed outside near the garden under any circumstances." He said before walking from the room. Sam entered after he had left, wearing his hospital gown. He sat down in the seat and looked up at his brother.

"Dean, what happened?"

Dean sighed, sitting down at the desk. "Whatever this thing is... it got to Oshea. Out in the trees. It looked like me... it tricked her into following him... It's some sort of shape shifter, but it's a spirit too. I could tell by the way it disappeared. But that doesn't make sense why it wouldn't show up as a cat like it did all the other times." He shook his head.

"Maybe this thing knew that you both were on it's trail and knew that it took the form of a cat... so it took the form it knew would be able to lure Oshea out into the open." Sam said, his brows furrowing. "Whatever this is, Dean, we need to figure things out fast. Have you called Bobby yet?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah, just before you came in. He's gonna ask around and then call me back," Just as he said that, his phone rang. "Please tell me you found something, Bobby..."

"It's a Tengu. A spirit that usually the form of men or a cat. It lures it's victims into trees and ties them there before literally robbing them of their sanity. Normally it chooses it's victims because the person has something in common with the Tengu while it was living. Getting rid of it will be the standard finding and burning the remains of the person," Bobby said on the other line. "Once its gone, it's victims should return to normal."

"How are we supposed to figure out who this thing is a spirit of?" He gave an exasperated sigh.

"I figured you'd ask that so I did a little digging into that town's history, looking for murders, suicides, that kind of thing. I found something kind of strange," There was a sound of rustling papers. "A

boy named Jimmy Edwards, 16 years old when he died. He was kind of an outcast in school, didn't have many friends, was picked on, that kind of thing. He apparently had thing for bees, had his own hives behind his house. That's how he killed himself actually. He agitated a bunch of bees and just let them sting him until he died."

"Ouch," Dean winced. "Any idea where he was buried?"

"Uh... well, actually, he was cremated." Bobby said over the phone. "But everything else seems to fit. All of the victims so far were outsiders, a middle aged guy who lived with his mom, loner teenagers... that sort of thing. So there must be some piece of him lying around somewhere."

"Thanks, Bobby. I guess I'll have to make a stop to his parents house. See if they've got a lock of hair put up somewhere, something like that. Are they still living?"

"No, his parents died before he did, but he lived with his grandmother. Her address is 13 Renee's Way. Shouldn't be too hard for you to find." Bobby said.

"Thanks again, Bobby," Dean said before hanging up the phone. "Well, guess I'm gonna be paying Jimmy Edwards' granny a visit. I'll explain it all later, just.. keep an eye on Ella and Oshea, and make sure none of you follow someone around that looks like me," He said to Sam.

Sam nodded quickly. "Alright, just be careful, Dean."


	15. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Dean arrived at 13 Renee's Way about a half an hour after leaving the asylum, parking the Impala in the driveway of the small cottage-like home. He knocked on the front door. "Mrs. Edwards?"

A voice came from behind the door inside the home. "Coming, coming...," A few moments later, the door was opened and an elderly woman holding a grey cat close to her chest in one arm. "I'm Mrs.

Edwards." She said, her brows furrowing. "Who are you?"

"My name is Detective Young, I'm with the FBI," Dean replied, pulling a badge out of the suit he had changed into before leaving the asylum. "If it's alright, I'd like to ask you a couple questions about your grandson."

The woman pulled her bathrobe tighter around herself, stroking the chest of the dark grey cat. She nodded, her brows furrowing." Oh... Of course...," She took a step backwards to let him inside. "It was so

long ago, why is the FBI wanting to look into it now?"

"Exactly what I told them, ma'am," Dean said with a nod. "But I'm just following procedure." He stepped into the home and found himself in the very small living room. From the outside it had looked somewhat cozy, but the inside was a different story. The smell of cat litter was strong in the air, and the room looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in weeks.

The woman shut the door behind herself and ran her fingers through her curling pale hair. "Well, what can I do to help?" she said quietly. "It was quite a shock, you know, Jimmy was such a nice boy, very

bright." She offered Dean a seat on the floral patterned couch and sat down herself in a chair across from it. "He was all I had left... "

Dean nodded, his eyes lowering to the ground. "I understand completely." He cleared his throat. "So, Jimmy was cremated, am I correct?"

The elderly woman nodded, slowly stroking the grey cat's fur. "He never hurt anyone, and those boy's tormented him... nearly drove him crazy with their constant insults and beatings and taking his things

and money..." Other cats had begun to roam about the room. A black cat leapt up onto the back of the couch by Dean's shoulder and watched him closely with its bright eyes.

Dean jerked back a moment in surprise, and eyed the cat, eyebrows raised. He cleared his throat again. "That's a shame. Now, when you say you cremated him... do you mean _all _of him?" He chuckled nervously.

The woman gave a small, soft chuckle. "Oh yes, Dean. Poor little Jimmy was burned all up." The cat by Dean hissed, its fur standing on end, and the animal in the woman's lap shuddered and dashed away. She grinned broadly, slowly looking up at Dean. "There's no lock of hair or baby teeth or bones that you need to burn," Her voice had changed, sounding instead like Bobby's, and Dean could hear the locks on the

doors sliding into place.

Dean cursed as he jumped up from the couch, reaching for the gun he usually kept in the waistband of the back of his pants, but, remembering he had left it in the Impala, he cursed again. "That wasn't Bobby on the phone. That was you..."

The woman smiled up at him calmly. "You are a smart one, aren't you? Well," She chuckled as she stood up. "Not terribly smart... you left all of your little toys outside. Did you really think that it would be that simple? That you could just come here and burn some little bit of flesh or hair and it would be over? Sorry to disappoint you... I don't give up that easily." With that, she growled and leapt forward, throwing Dean to the ground and holding him there as she leaned over him and her mouth opened unnaturally wide as she began to suck inward, drawing a pale smoke from Dean's mouth. Dean could hear the sound of the doorknob twisting before muffled voices and the sound of shattering wood. Sam, still wearing the pale patient's uniform from the asylum stepped into the room, cocking a gun and firing at the woman, who hissed. Her form flickered then vanished. Sam, glanced about the room then rushed over to Dean, kneeling down beside of him.

"Dean, are you okay?"

"How did you guys get here?" He said, groaning quietly as he sat up, looking over at Ella who stood at the now broken down door.

"We uh... borrowed one of the doctor's cars," Sam said, glancing briefly back to Ella before looking again to his brother. "I knew something was up... because after you left, I realized that tengu are

not spirits... and I knew Bobby would have known that and I remembered that you said they were shape shifters. So I put two and two together and figured you might need some back up." He said. "We have to find it and burn it." He said quickly, standing up and looking around.

"Yeah, before it makes anyone else cuckoo for cocoa puffs," he said with a nod.

Sam nodded and tossed his brother a makeshift flamethrower that was made from a can of hairspray attached to a long candle lighter. He started around the couch and toward the hallway that branched off from the living room. He prodded open one of the doors in the hall with the toe of his shoe and jumped in alarm as a large tabby cat shot out of the room and darted down the hallway. Sam released a heavy, relieved sigh then started to continue down the hall, but was stopped as the woman appeared and flung him against the wall. He dropped his weapon and watched it roll across the hall as the woman dug her jagged fingernails into the skin of his arms. He tried to keep from looking at her, but she grabbed his chin and turned him to face her, forcing his mouth open as she dropped her jaw. As the pale smoke began to issue between his lips, he vaguely heard his brother calling his name.

Suddenly, the woman was engulfed in a fountain of flames. She dropped Sam, who staggered away and grabbed his own weapon. He turned and aimed it toward the creature, who was screeching and writhing as the flames reduced her to ash.

_TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER…_

_Oshea took a deep breath as she zipped up her duffel bag and fingered the plane ticket in her hands. Dean was leaning against the doorframe, watching her with an unreadable expression. "You're leaving…"_

_Oshea nodded, grabbing her bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder. "Yes. I'll be back in a couple weeks. I just… have to do something." She said, slipping around him and going through the hotel toward the door. She opened it, hearing the honk of the taxi sitting outside waiting for her. She heard Dean following her, and she felt her throat tightening. She didn't want to leave, not when the time was drawing near that Dean's bill would have to be paid. She felt her eyes burning._

"_This can't wait?" She heard Dean ask from the doorway._

_She shook her head and put the duffel bag into the back of the taxi. "No, I'm sorry… I'll be back as soon as possible, alright?" Her voice was a little unsteady, and it was all she could do to keep from crying. She climbed into the car and leaned back against the seat, tears easing down her cheeks as the driver pulled away from the hotel._


	16. I Just Want To See His Face

Ella sat on the hood of the Impala, staring up at the pale blue evening sky. The last two weeks had gone by so quickly, and the time before Dean would become a Hellhound's chew toy was drawing dangerously closer as every minute ticked by. It was now close to six o'clock, which meant there was a little over six hours left. Ella let out a deep sigh as she scooted back a little, leaning on the windshield. Dean pulled a beer out of the cooler that was propped up against the left front tire and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. They had been setting up camp out in an abandoned field a little while away from some abandoned mobile homes. They sat up a couple of foldable chairs out around the place that would be their campfire in a few short hours, and also stocked up on things like graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate, and marshmallows, for the 'smores they would make later on It seemed like a strange thing to do in a situation such as theirs, but once the clock struck midnight, Dean would be gone, and their hearts would ache for those little campfire moments.

Ten minutes passed and still there was no sign of Oshea. She had promised she would be back in time and if Ella had not known where her sister had gone off to, she might be worried about her safety. But now as she sat on the Impala and looked over at Dean's stoic expression as he sat in one of the foldable chairs watching the sun slowly set, the only thing she was worried about was Oshea showing up before it was too late.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair as he finished setting up the campfire. He was keeping himself as busy as possible, not wanting to think about the fact that tonight his brother would be torn apart in front of him and be gone forever. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and fought to keep the moisture in his burning eyes from spilling over. Clearing his throat, he looked from the neat pile of wood that was all ready for burning and watched his brother a moment. "Don't worry," he said, standing to his feet and brushing the dust off of his jeans. "She'll be here." He stepped away and walked toward the Impala, snatching up a beer for himself before standing near Ella. He was worried about Oshea, too. What if things had not gone well?

Even though he and Ella knew where she was, she had not contacted them at all during the few weeks she had been gone. Just as he was about to say something to Ella, he heard the sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching. He stiffened, for a terrible moment thinking that the Hounds were early, but as he saw the slender form stepping delicately through the brush, he relaxed and smiled a little in relief.

Oshea was wearing a snug green sundress and her thick red hair had been pulled up into an elegant, high ponytail with a few strands framing her face. She was carrying a steaming pan with her. She passed by Ella and Sam and moved to stand beside of Dean. She swallowed hard, "Dean... I ... I have something for you." She said quietly, the tips of her fingers tapping against the side of the pan that was carrying a freshly made apply pie.

Dean slowly stood up from the chair, and as Oshea approached him, and at first he thought it was just another hallucination, much like the reoccurring nightmares he had been having for the past few days as the deadline came closer. But as she stood there, he could smell the apple pie clearly. "How did you..." He couldn't find words to finish the sentence, he just stared, and looked at her eyes, which were, for the first time staring back at him. Like she could see him.

Oshea smiled a little sadly, biting her lower lip as tears came into her eyes. She carefully sat down the pie beside of the ingredients for the 'smores then turned back to him. "I... I'm so sorry I wasn't here for those few weeks... I wanted... well, I..." She stared at him, tears easing down her cheeks. "I wanted to see you before..." She couldn't finish. "I had surgery... I can see now, Dean.."

Dean's eyes widened a bit. "So you got on a plane, paid thousands of dollars for surgery, and came all the way back here just to be able to see me before I get clawed to pieces?" He sighed as he smiled, and then his smile faded. "You do realize you're now going to have to actually see me get clawed to pieces, right?"

Oshea swallowed hard, lowering her eyes as she nodded. "I know...," She whispered, curling her arms around herself. "But... I don't want to think about that now." She looked up at him again, her eyes taking in his features. She lifted a hand and touched his cheek. "You're so handsome..."

Ella watched, smiling a little at the two of them and then looking over at Sam.

Dean's smile returned, forming into a grin. "Who's ready to make 'smores?"

Sam glanced to Ella, offering a weak smile before he looked back to his brother. He simply could not imagine his life without his older brother there and it was his fault that Dean was going to die. He stretched out his hand, which was slightly shaking, and took Ella's. At the question, he straightened and nodded, "I am." He said quickly. He wanted to stay busy.

Oshea smiled back at Dean and lowered her hand, brushing tears from her eyes and cheeks. "Me, too. But you have to save room for some of my pie," She said to Dean as she sat down in the chair beside of his.

Sam shook his head. "You don't have to worry about that, Dean's a bottomless pit."

Dean said nothing. Instead he sat back down in his chair and grinned.

"I'll go get some more wood for the fire," Ella said, nodding her head towards the woods.

Sam nodded, jumping up a little quickly. "I'll come, too." He said, moving after Ella. Oshea smiled a little back at them then turned toward Dean. She could not believe that this was their last night together. She felt tears gathering in her eyes and she looked away.

"So... would you like a slice of pie, Dean?"

Dean watched his brother and Ella disappear into the trees near the field, and then looked at Oshea. "Do you even have to ask?" He replied with a wide grin.

Sam was very quiet as he walked away from the campfire. He could not believe this was happening and there was nothing he could do about it and it was his fault. He stopped walking and stared at the ground, feeling utterly hopeless. "This is my fault..." he said after a moment. "It's all my fault.."

Ella sighed as she picked up a medium sized branch, dragging it along as she let her hand fall to her side as she approached Sam. "It's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault, Sam. You died. You were killed, you can't control that sort of thing. I'm an older sibling. So I understand one hundred percent why Dean made that deal. And I know for a fact if something happened to Oshea, I would do the same thing for her in a heartbeat. And I wouldn't want her blaming herself for something that was out of her control." She stared meaningfully at Sam before turning around to pick up more branches and twigs.

"I just... I can't believe that he's...," he swallowed hard, leaning back against one of the trunks of the trees. "There's nothing I can do, Ella... he's always been there for me, always saved me without caring what it cost him, and I can't... I can't help him. He's going to be torn to pieces and dragged to Hell and there's nothing I can do about it." Moisture was spilling over his cheeks.

Ella sat the branches down and walked over next to him slowly, unsure what to do at the moment. "I wish I could say something to fix it, to make it all better. I know it hurts," she said, placing a hand gently on his arm. "Especially for you. But we all have to pull through this. Tonight is his last night. It's our last night with him. So let's make the most of it." It killed her to see Sam like this. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through, and would have to go through by the night's end.

Sam swallowed hard and nodded, lifting a hand to brush his tears away. "I know." He said quietly. He sighed and walked over to the branches, gathering them up. "Come on, let's get back to them... I don't want to be away from him too long." He said quietly. Ella was right, this wasn't the time for him to break down. He needed to go and be with his brother and help him face what was coming.

A couple of hours later, the sun had gone down and the four of them were sitting around the campfire underneath the starry night sky. They had finished Oshea's apple pie, and had moved on to making 'smores. The time was 10:42. The fire was crackling and popping, and making their shadows flicker onto the trees behind them.

Oshea finished off her 'smores and glanced at her watch in the firelight. She frowned slightly as she read the numbers. They had just an hour left. She could not believe this was happening. Sam had not eaten anything and now, he was pacing back and forth near Ella's chair. He was racking his brain, trying to think of some way they could stop what was about to happen.

Ella sat the metal 'smores stick down, and licked a little bit of the melted chocolate off her fingers, then gently dusting off her hands on her dark jeans. She looked up at Sam, concerned, picking up one of the 'smores she had made and offering it to him with a weak smile.

Sam slowed to a stop and glanced down at the 'smores she was offering him. He sighed and took it, nibbling on the edges of it. Once he had finished it, he looked to Dean. "There has to be something that we can do." he said lowly. "We can't just sit around here and let this happen."

Dean sighed, not lifting his eyes from the fire. "Sam..."

"No, Dean." Sam said desperately. "NO... I am not going to just sit here and pretend that everything's going to be alright. You're going to be torn apart and dragged down to Hell in half an hour. There HAS to be something that we can do." He was breathing hard and his fists were clenched at his side. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I'm not going to let this happen to you!"

"Yes you are!" Dean said, raising his voice as he jumped up from the chair. He sighed. "Yes you are, Sammy. It's... it's too late. What's done is done, Sam."

Sam stared at his brother, looking defeated as moisture gathered in his eyes. His jaw tightened and he lowered his eyes, shifting his weight between his feet. "I just... I can't imagine you not being here, Dean... What am I going to do without you?" He whispered, finally looking up again at his brother as a tear ran down his face.

"You're going to keep fighting. You're gonna use what you've learned after all these years, from me, and what dad taught you. And you're going to keep fighting." Dean said. "You have to promise me that."

Sam sighed and closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "Yeah... okay," He whispered, his voice sounding hopeless. "I promise..." Oshea looked down at her watch again, blinking back tears as she saw how little time they had left. She stood up slowly and curled her arm around Dean's. "I'm going to miss you so much, Dean..."

Dean nodded and stared down at the ground for a few moments before clearing his throat and smiling at Oshea. He looked over at Ella. "Take care of my brother. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Ella smiled faintly. "Yeah, I'll try."

Oshea rubbed Dean's arm a little and forced a smile. "Come on, we still have some time and the 'smores are getting cold." She said. She released Dean's arm, giving it a little pat before she took one of the 'smores and offered it to Dean. Sam was quiet, but he took one of the 'smores and popped it into his mouth anyway.


	17. Plundered My Soul

They spent the rest of the night eating 'smores, and sitting around the campfire looking up at the stars and just talking. But when 11:55 rolled around, the area grew silent. Soon that silence would be filled with the growling of Hellhounds and the agonized screams of Dean as they tore his chest to ribbons. Oshea glanced at her watch and choked back a gasp. They were all laying on blankets staring up at the stars: Sam and Ella were on one and Oshea and Dean were occupying the other. Oshea swallowed hard and scooted closer to Dean, resting her head against his chest and curling one arm tightly around him. Her eyes were stinging with tears. Sam was clinging tightly to Ella, his hands trembling and moisture sparkling in his eyes.

Dean held Oshea tightly. It was getting closer, he could feel it. He didn't need a watch to know that the Hellhounds would be coming shortly. He could feel it in his gut. As the next few minutes passed, he could already hear the faint sounds of the dogs growling and snarling. He grew completely still. "Sam, Oshea, Ella. Get out of here. Now. Get in the Impala."

As soon as he heard the growls, Sam released Ella and jerked up to his feet, rushing to the back of the Impala and yanking open the trunk and pulling out a shotgun. Oshea stood up, too and took a step toward the car. "Sam!" Sam looked up at her and tossed the gun to her before getting another gun himself. Oshea cocked the weapon and stood in front of Dean, holding the weapon tightly and aiming low toward the ground. Sam looked determined as he carried his weapon and moved to stand beside of Oshea.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sam said lowly, cocking the weapon in his hands. Oshea narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"Me neither."

Dean glared at the two of them. "Stop being stubborn and get in the car," he said, gritting his teeth as he rose to his feet.

"You've saved my life more times than I can count, Dean," Sam said, not looking at him. "I'm not going to let you die, not without a fight." As he spoke, the saplings and ferns and the tall grass began to shiver and sway as the Hounds dashed through them toward their target. Sam turned toward the sound of paws pressing to the ground and fired the gun. There was a small explosion as the Hound was stricken and it snarled, growling lowly in its throat. Oshea shot in the direction of another, closing her eyes so she could focus on the sounds of the Hounds' howling and growling.

Ella hesitated at first, but grabbed a loaded shotgun out of the trunk as well and took a shot. She couldn't see the Hellhound, but she could sense it close to them, snarling and howling. Blood splattered into the air around it as the invisible creature yelped in pain.

Oshea cocked her gun and shot again, feeling a sense of accomplishment as she managed to hit another of the animals. Sam had fired again as well, and the little campsite was alive with the furious snarls and growling of the Hounds. He was in the process of cocking his weapon to shoot again when he suddenly felt his feet being tugged out from beneath him. He dropped down to the ground with a gasp and the gun

fell from his hand as blood began to appear at his ankle. Oshea turned to help, but found herself thrown forward. She dropped to the hard earth, the gun pinned beneath her as she felt a heavy pressure on her

back, keeping her from moving. She became very still as she felt the Hound's breath against her face and its growling in her ear.

"Oshea!" Ella shouted. She aimed her gun at the air just above Oshea, but hesitated, not wanting to shoot her sister by accident. One of the hounds took the opportunity to make the decision for her, knocking her to her feet and standing on her back, keeping her from moving as well.

"Ella!" Sam cried, kicking his foot toward his ankle. The Hound was not fazed and only bit harder into his skin. Sam stiffened and looked away from his bleeding ankle to Ella. "Just stay still!" He stretched

out his arm, trying to reach the gun he had dropped. His fingertips barely brushed against the edge of the weapon, and he couldn't get a hold of it. Oshea squirmed beneath the weight of the Hellhound standing on her back and tried to get her gun free. She looked up at Dean sharply as she felt the air beside her stir as other Hellhounds rush passed her toward him.

"Dean!" The Hounds lurched forward and fell upon Dean, immediately tearing into his legs until he collapsed. They jumped onto his chest and began to tear it to ribbons, biting and clawing while blood spurted upward and pooled beneath his body. Oshea struggled harder, tears running freely down her face as she watched. "DEAN!" But Dean could no longer hear them. Their voices quickly began to fade away, and his surroundings grew dark. He choked on his own blood as he struggled to cry out.

Sam stood up slowly and stared blankly at his brother's torn body, unable to speak. Ella raised her head to look over at Dean's still body, her eyes widening as she laid on the grass for a moment, even after the Hellhound had stopped pinning her down. She slowly rose to her feet and stood there hesitantly.

Oshea cried out his name again as the Hounds tore away his flesh and finally left him laying in a pool of his own blood on the ground. When the pressure on her back disappeared, Oshea pushed herself to her feet and stumbled to Dean, kneeling down beside of him and carefully lifting his head from the ground. "Dean...? Dean!"

_**A/N: As you can tell, we completely cut Ruby and Lilith from the storyline for the time being, because we thought it would be better for our story to go a different way. You'll probably recognize a lot of the dialogue from certain episodes of SN, which we have simply borrowed. All credit belongs to the writers of Supernatural, who we love and adore xD**_


	18. As Tears Go By

_**ONE MONTH LATER…**_

Moonlight was filtering through the space between the thick curtains that covered windows. The light fell over the two beds that occupied the small hotel room. Sam was laying beside of Ella, staring up at the ceiling after waking from another nightmare. He glanced to her after a moment, waiting to make sure that she was asleep before he carefully climbed from the bed. Things had been hard since Dean had died. They had buried him and left a plain wooden cross to mark his grave. They had spent the month trying to continue as things had been before, but it just wasn't the same. Oshea had been quiet, she'd barely spoken

since Dean had died and she hadn't been eating or sleeping much, but the same could have been said of Sam. He ran his fingers through his hair as he left the hotel and went to the Impala, grabbing a few things from it before he left. He walked and walked until he found what he was looking for: the crossroads. He had stopped along the way, grabbing a bottle or two... or four.. of liquid courage before he stumbled onto the crossroads, waiting for the demon to arrive. "COME ON! Show yourself!"

Suddenly a man who appeared to be in his early thirties appeared, wearing a dark brown suit, his hands stuck casually in his pockets. "I was wondering whether to come or not, I mean, you shot one of my coworkers," He said with a humorless chuckle. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but you don't look so hot, buddy." He smirked, his eyes flashing red for a moment and then returning to their normal color. "Guess burying your brother didn't agree with you. Let me guess. You want to make a deal?" He started walking towards Sam, his hands still in his pockets as he strolled towards him. "And round and round the Winchesters go... Sorry Sam, you could have saved yourself the trip. It's not gonna happen," he said with a shrug as he shook his head.

"Yes, I want to make a deal." Sam started, his voice slurred slightly. He narrowed his eyes, trying to keep himself standing steady as he watched the man. "What do you mean, it's not going to happen?" He

said, his brows furrowing. "You don't have to give me any time, just take me now. I just want Dean back. I'll do anything."

"Sorry, Sam, no can do. We've got your brother right where we want him. So the answer's no. You wanna kill me? Go right ahead. I've made peace with my lord," the demon said with a wide grin.

"You can't do this, it's a fair trade!" Sam yelled, taking an unsteady step forward. "Just take me!" He spread his arms out before letting them fall to his sides. He could not believe this was happening. "It's

a fair trade!"

The demon chuckled before shaking his head slowly. "You Winchesters crack me up," He said with a smirk, and then he disappeared.

Sam stared at the place where the demon had stood and shook his head. "No! Come back here! What is my soul not good enough for you? It's a fair trade!" He yelled again. He lifted his hands and tilted back his head as he roughly combed his fingers through his hair. He sighed heavily and dropped his hands to his sides, turning as he found himself standing in the glow of headlights. Blinking, he lifted a hand to shield his eyes and took a step backwards out of the road as the Impala pulled up beside him.

Ella rolled down the driver's side window and looked out at Sam with a tired expression on her face, as she pulled up next to him and stopped the car. "Figured I'd find you here," She said with a sigh. "You didn't... I mean, I'm not too late, am I?"

Sam looked away, staring down at the ground. He kicked a piece of gravel away with the toe of his shoe then shook his head. "He wouldn't make a deal with me." He said quietly.

Ella sighed. "I miss Dean too, Sam. I can't imagine what you're going through, because Oshea is still here and alive. But we already lost Dean, we can't lose you, too."

Sam rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled open the Impala's door, climbing into the passenger seat. He sat down heavily and closed his eyes. "I had to try, Ella... you said once that you'd sell your soul for Oshea if it came to that... Dean sold his for me, I had to... I had to at least try..."

Ella looked over at him. "I know. But Dean wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want you to fall apart like this. These last few weeks have been really hard, not just on you but Oshea too, and on me, because I'm try so hard to keep you guys from sacrificing yourselves."

Sam's brows furrowed and he leaned up a little, dropping his hand from in front of his face. He turned and looked at Ella as a thought came to his mind from what she had said. "Where is Oshea now?" He whispered, glancing in the back of the Impala then looking back at Ella when he saw she wasn't there.

Ella raised an eyebrow for a moment. "She's back asleep at the motel, why..? You don't think she...? Oh crap," She said suddenly, taking the Impala out of park as she sped away from the crossroads back towards the motel.

Oshea curled her arms around herself, glancing over her shoulder to watch the old S10 pull away and drive in the opposite direction she was going. She had pretended she was asleep the whole night until she had heard the Impala drive off. She had quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a green zip up hoodie, throwing her hair into a ponytail before rushing out to the road and finding rides until she reached the

crossroads. She stepped into the middle of the crossroads, crouching and pulling out the small box that contained the items she needed. She placed it into the ground and covered it up before standing straight again and waiting.

A few moments later, a young woman with long, wavy dark brown hair appeared on one of the roads, dressed in a plain black dress. "Well, well, if it isn't one of the Winchester's pretty little gal-pals," she said with a grin and a wink, her eyes flashing red for a moment as she walked towards Oshea and circled around her. "That's right, I know who you are. Demons talk, you know." She looked her up and down as she circled around her, and then stopped, standing still with her arms crossed over her chest. "So, doll, what can I do for you?"

Oshea took a deep breath, standing still as the demon circled around her like a vulture. "If you know who I am then you know why I'm here." She whispered, looking up at the woman. "I want to make a deal."

The demon rolled her eyes and then chuckled. "You humans are just so delightfully stupid, you know that? It's so fun to watch you squirm around in your little meat suits, just itching to sacrifice yourself for your latest lover. It's adorable, really."

Oshea swallowed hard, releasing her breath in a soft sigh. "I want Dean Winchester back." She said quietly, lowering her eyes. "I don't need any time. You can take me now. Just... bring Dean back for me..."

The demon laughed bitterly. "Sweetie, what makes you think we want your soul? Why would we take a little nobody like yourself, when we have Dean Winchester doing the hell-fire rumba downstairs as we speak?"

Oshea flinched slightly, feeling her chest tighten and a lump gather in her throat. She closed her eyes a moment to compose herself, trying not to think about how much Dean must be suffering. "I... I will do anything." She whispered, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Please... There has to be some way we can work this out. Something or someone I can bring you to give you along with my soul... anything."

"Tsk, tsk, not the brightest crayon in the box, now are you?" She smiled for a moment and then turned serious. "Dean's staying right where he is. And even if I wanted to help you out, which I don't, we've got strict orders not to bargain with you, Ella, or the other Winchester boy about Dean's soul. So sorry, sweetie. Guess you'll have to find yourself another boy toy."

Oshea's brows furrowed. "What? Why? Why have you been told not to bargain about Dean's soul?" She asked, taking a step towards the woman. She had been planning on going to every crossroads she could find until someone decided to help her, but if they had all been ordered not to release Dean for some reason, then it was hopeless.

The demon chuckled. "That's for us to know, and you to find out." With a wink, she was gone.

Oshea stood there for a moment after the woman had vanished, not knowing what to do. She sighed and pulled up the things she had buried before walking down the road. She hitchhiked a ways and stubbornly tried a few more crossroads, only to be met with the same response. Finally, she went to the place where she, Dean, Ella and Sam had spent that last night together. She sat down by the place where they had watched the stars together and placed her head in her hands, softly beginning to cry.

After stopping back by the motel and seeing Oshea wasn't there, Ella and Sam stopped by every crossroad in town, but Oshea was still nowhere to be found. "Come on, Oshea... answer your phone..." Ella cursed as once again she was met with the voicemail, and she let the phone snap shut and fall into her lap. "I'm getting really worried, Sam."

Sam sighed and reached over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ella. I'm sure she's alive." He said quietly. He had been about to say that he was sure that she was okay, but none of them were okay, and Sam wasn't sure they would ever be okay again. "She isn't at any of the crossroads and Dean isn't back so she must not have made a deal... okay? Let's just keep looking. Maybe we can try our old camp site. Remember? Where Dean..." he swallowed hard. "Where he... he died..."

Ella nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah, you're probably right... we should go check there." She took a deep breath and put the car in reverse, turning around and driving in the opposite direction.

It was getting dark by the time they pulled up to the spot. Sam pointed to the huddled figure sitting on the ground that was washed in the light of the headlights. "There." He said quietly. Oshea did not move from where she was, tears were still running down her face and her arms curled around herself. As they stopped the car, Sam climbed out and stood just outside of the open car door.

Ella jumped out of the car and walked towards Oshea and laid down on the grass next to her. "Do I have to get a collar with a little jingly bell on it for you and Sam so I don't have to chase you guys all over the place?" She said with a sigh.

Oshea swallowed hard and glanced toward her sister a moment before she scooted to her and threw her arms around her, burying her face in her shoulder. She was too tired to cry anymore, her form was shaking with soft, weak hiccupping sobs. Sam remained where he was, lowering his eyes.

Ella patted Oshea's back softly. "I know it hurts, sis. We all miss him. But we'll get through this." She said quietly.

"We should get back to the hotel," Sam said after giving the siblings a few moments alone. He watched as the two returned to the car. Oshea climbed into the back silently and Sam sat back down in the passenger seat. The ride back to the hotel was silent, when they got back to the hotel, Oshea went directly to her bed and buried herself in the covers, going to sleep. Sam took a deep breath and turned to Ella, watching her a moment before he moved toward her and kissed her on the lips. He eased her back to the bed and laid her down on it before he climbed onto it himself, deepening the kiss.

Ella was surprised at first. Ever since Dean had died, Sam hardly looked at her, let alone kissed her like that. She could taste the alcohol on his lips, and she pulled away for a moment. "Rob a liquor store on your little outing earlier?" She said, arching a brow.

Sam closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against Ella's. "Kind of," He said quietly. "Ella... I just... I want to forget about what happened... I want to forget everything..." He opened his eyes and slid his hands beneath the edges of her shirt, touching her sides and stomach. "I need you... please..."

Though he could not see it in the darkness of the room, Ella blushed a bit. She put her hands on his and moved them away, but held onto his hands. "Sam, that isn't going to make you forget. You're drunk and sad and you think it's going to make you forget, but it's not. You know I care about you," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "But what you think is going to happen, isn't going to happen tonight... especially with the state you're in, and especially not with my little sister in the same room. So, let's just go to sleep. Okay, Sam?" She stared him in the eyes, smiling faintly, hoping she could get through to any bit of sobriety that was in him at the moment.

Sam returned the little kiss on his lips and sighed as he allowed her to pull his hands away from her. "I care about you, too." He said quietly. With a little nod, he whispered, sounding a little hurt. "Okay..." He pulled away and laid down beside of her on the bed. Climbing beneath the covers with her, he curled one arm around her and pulled her close to him. He laid his head by her shoulder, closing his eyes.

_**A/N: So this concludes "season three" of the story. Stay tuned, as "season four" will be uploaded shortly :)**_


	19. Lazarus Rising

_**A/N: "Season Four." **_

It was unlike anything he had ever known. His ears were clogged with screams and snarling and cursing and the grinding of teeth together. Momentarily he was overwhelmed with it all. With the noises and the choking stench of sulfur and blood and decaying flesh. The edges of his wings were singed as he hovered in the vast expanse that was stretched out before him. His handsome, lean form was shrouded in a blinding pale light that cast long writhing shadows all about him. The battle was still taking place, his brothers and sisters were crying out- their voices sharp and piercing, at such a high pitch that if they were on earth, glass would shatter- as they fought. He knew that he had to move quickly. With the barest movement of his wings, he shot forward, winding through the long tangled coils of chains fashioned like great spider webs. Over the voices of his brethren, their fallen siblings, and the souls in torment, he heard on in particular that gave him pause. Turning his head, he shot in the direction of the voice and found the one that he sought. He cried out to the others, his voice causing the chains to shiver as he shot downward like a comet and grasped the soul by the upper part of his arm at his shoulder. As soon as his skin touched the soul, the chains shuddered and crumbled and he shot upward. His search for the soul's body was tedious, but quick. When he appeared in the dark, damp space cluttered with dirt, he frowned, peering down into the coffin at the scarred, mangled body that the soul belong to. Still gripping the soul with one hand, he stretched out his other and pressed the pads of his first two fingers to the body's forehead. The body's skin immediately became smooth and perfect, showing no bruising, no scars, nothing except the mark of his hand where he had grabbed his soul from the abyss. He carefully placed the soul back into the body, watching as it settled inside and the body took its first coughing breathes. Satisfied, he shot directly upward through the dirt and exploded through the surface, instantly leveling the grove of trees that surrounded the small, isolated grave. For a moment, he hovered there then his form shot away, leaving a trail of light behind him like a shooting star before it faded into nothing.

Dean coughed until he was able to catch his breath, and he slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by darkness. He shakily reached one of his hands to the right pocket of his jeans and pulled it out, fumbling to open it. When it was lit, he saw that he was in a small space, just barely enough room for his body, enclosed by wood. A coffin. He gasped for more air and tried to cry out. "Help!" His voice cracked as he yelled it, and it only came out as a whisper. He coughed a few more times. "Help!" He tried again. He started to pull away at the wood above him, and as he tore a piece away, dirt began to fall through, filling the coffin and spilling over top Dean.

Finally, after much digging, he dragged himself out of the ground. His knuckles were red and bloody from pulling himself through the dirt. He gasped as he crawled out of the hole, and laid upon the dead grass, laying on his back for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. He slowly stood up, wincing in pain a little, as he looked around to see the area around him was surrounded by dead and fallen trees.

He walked and walked and walked until he reached a small shabby gas station. It appeared to be deserted, and there was a closed sign hanging on the door. He knocked a few times before pulling the jacket that was tied around his waist and wrapping it around his fist. He punched through the glass of the door with his covered hand and reached through to open the door from the inside. He headed for the bathroom of the small convenience store and quickly washed off his face. After he splashed water on his face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, and tugged up his tight black shirt and looked at his chest, memories flooding back from when the Hellhounds shredded it to pieces. But now, there weren't even scars, it looked like it had before the Hellhounds. He let the shirt fall back over his chest and then, seeing something under the edge of the left sleeve of his shirt, he curiously pulled it up, and saw a large red handprint welted over his arm.

After he left the bathroom, he grabbed a bottle of water and gulped down the entire thing. Then he grabbed a plastic bag and began to fill it with various snacks off the shelves. When he reached the magazine rack, a copy of Busty Asian Beauties caught his eye, and he grinned a bit, grabbing it and flipping through the pages quickly, then throwing it in the bag with the rest of the items. He headed for the cash register, fumbling with the buttons until he was able to open it, and he pulled all the cash out, taking it as well. A newspaper was laying on the counter, and he picked it up. At the top of the page it read September 18th. 2008. "September?" He muttered to himself.

The lights flickered and hummed as the bright form landed on the roof of the building. The fluorescent lights began to shake. He folded his wings and tilted his head. "Dean." He said, his voice just over a whisper. "Dean Winchester." Instead of the quiet words, his voice reached Dean's ears as a shrill, piercing screech. Cans of soup rattled together and tumbled off of the shelves. The glass of the lights shattered along with the windows. The glass shot inward, raining down in little crystals on Dean and the rest of the store.

Dean fell to his knees, covering both of his ears with his hands as glass exploded around him. Blood dripped from his ears and he fell over to his side until the noise finally subsided.

His eyes were ringing as he stepped outside and stepped inside the old phone booth, dialing the first number that came to mind. "I'm sorry, the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service." He hung up, and tried another number.

"Hello?" Bobby's voice said on the other line.

"Hey Bobby. It's Me."

"Me? Who's me?"

"Dean." His reply was met with the sound of the dial tone. He put in another quarter and dialed Bobby's number again.

"This isn't funny," Bobby's voice immediately snapped. "Call again and I'll kill you." After he finished speaking, the dial tone blared in his ears.

Dean held the phone away from his ear for a moment and then hung it up, looking around, unsure of what to do next. He spotted an old car parked to the side of the dust road, arching a brow.

Bobby walked through the house, grumbling to himself as he moved to the door and pulled it open. He stared for a moment at the person at the door then took a step backward, reaching behind himself to the waistband of his jeans. He then yanked out a knife, giving a cry as he lunged forward.

"Bobby. It's me, it's really me!" Dean said as he began to wrestle with Bobby. He finally managed to break free and he stepped back halfway across the room. "Your name is Bobby Singer. You became a hunter after your wife died, you're about the closest thing I have to family," he said, putting his hands out in front of him in defense.

Bobby hesitated a moment, looking Dean up and down, his brows furrowing a moment before he rushed forward again, brandishing the knife.

"I'm not a shape shifter!"

"Then you're a revanen!" Bobby yelled in return.

Dean wrestled the knife away and stood back, holding the knife up. "If I was either, could do I do this, with a silver knife?" He said with a nod as he cut into his arm with the knife, wincing a little.

Bobby stared at him a moment, watching the blood run down Dean's arm. He stepped forward and spread his arms, pulling Dean into a firm hug. He patted his back then pulled away, looking Dean over again. "Good to see you, boy." He said with a small smile. "How are you back?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, I just woke up in a pine bo-"

Before he continued, Bobby threw holy water onto him. When nothing happened, he shrugged a little.

Dean spit out some of the water and stared. "I'm not a demon either, you know."

"Well, can't be too careful," Bobby said.

"Well I know whatever it is that brought me back, it left me a little souvenir," Dean said, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt to show Bobby the mark.

Bobby's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward and took his arm, studying the bright red handprint. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Some… presence flew past me up at a fill up joint. Whatever did it, it's some bad mojo, I can feel it," Dean said with a nod. "So where's Sam, Ella, and Oshea."

"I haven't really been in contact with them in a while," Bobby released Dean's arm and looked up at him.

Dean arched a brow and picked up a half empty bottle of Smirnoff off the table. "What's with the liquor store, your parents out of town or something?"

"These past couple months haven't been easy for either of us," Bobby said with a frown, taking the bottle away from Dean.

"Why'd you guys bury me anyway?" Dean asked.

"Well, Ella and I wanted you salted and burned, regular drill, but Sam and Oshea wouldn't have it." He said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes some. "They said you'd need a body when they brought you back."

"Think either of them probably made a deal? Whatever left the little present on my arm could have been a demon, you know. Riding me out. Keeping up with their side of the deal."

"We should go and find them," Bobby said with a nod.


	20. Only Heaven Knows

Dean and Bobby pulled into the parking lot of the Budget Inn, and stepped out of the Impala, walking towards room number 6, where they had tracked them down. Dean and Bobby exchanged glances and then Dean lifted his fist and knocked on the door.

Sam walked up to the door and opened it. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of jeans that looked as if they had been hastily pulled on. They were still unzipped and unbuttoned. His eyes grew very wide as he stared at Dean and he looked him up and down before taking a step backward and turning. He grabbed a weapon off the nightstand. "Ella! ELLA!" He shouted, rushing toward Dean. Bobby shook his head.

"Sam! Sam, stop it, it's him!"

Ella's eyes widened as she crawled out of bed, wearing only one of Sam's plaid button up shirts, which was very long and oversized on her short and thin form. She pulled a knife from under her pillow and hurried over to Sam's side, her eyes wide.

"Sam, sam, stop it, it's me!" Dean said as he tried to wrestle the knife away from Sam.

Bobby stepped into the room and held up a hand to stop Ella, grabbing Sam and pulling him back. "Sam! I already went through the whole drill. It's really him, Sam! It's really him." Sam struggled in Bobby's grasp a moment before he slowly went still. He stared at Dean a moment as Bobby released him.

"Dean?" Sam whispered.

Dean smile a little. "Hey Sam."

Sam smiled back and stepped forward, pulling his brother into a tight hug.

After they stepped away from each other, Ella stared at Dean. "Dean, is it really you?" She asked quietly.

Dean looked over at her and then arched a brow, looking over at her outfit, and then looking over at Sam, and then back at Ella. He cleared his throat. "Hope we didn't, uh… interrupt, anything…" He mumbled and then looked around the room. "Where's Oshea?"

"Uh no… no, we were…," Sam was grinning as he looked back at Ella, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were done… uh… Oshea… we sent her to the Laundromat to wash the clothes so we could have some alone time…. Uh… yeah." he cleared his throat. "You should go see her." Sam said with a nod. "This has been pretty hard on her, she'll want to know that you're… that you're back." Sam smiled, shaking his head with disbelief. "I don't believe this, Dean… how did this happen?"

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "So you didn't have anything to do with this?"

Sam shook his head slowly, lowering his eyes. "No… sorry, Dean, I wish I was the one that was able to bring you back. I tried everything, but they wouldn't make a deal with me…" He glanced over to Ella then back to Dean. "Oshea… I think she might have tried, too, but… she hasn't spoken much so… we're not sure if she was able to get a deal somehow or not."

Dean looked saddened for a moment. "But there's a possibility she did?"

Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah, she disappeared from the hotel one night. We went to all the crossroads we could find, the ground was disturbed in all the places we passed. We finally found her back at the camp site. She hasn't spoken much since then."

Dean nodded and without a word turned towards the door and started to leave.

Sam frowned as he watched him starting to go and looked to Ella, curving an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her upper arm. Bobby looked to Dean. "Where you going now, ya idjit?"

"To talk to Oshea," Dean mumbled. "Be back in a little while."

Oshea was standing in front of the open dryer, wearing her green hoodie that was only partially zipped so that the collar hung off one of her bare shoulders, exposing part of her tattoo, and a pair of white short shorts. Her thick hair was tied back into a high, slightly messy ponytail. There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep due to nightmares. She was mechanically pulling out the clothes, folding them carefully before placing them into the plastic basket.

Dean slammed on the breaks as he pulled into a parking space. He got out of the car, slamming it behind him as he walked inside the small Laundromat. As soon as he saw Oshea, though, his angry expression softened. Oshea did not look up as the bell on the Laundromat door jingled. She finished folding the last of the clothes and picked up the basket turning to start toward the door. When she looked up and saw Dean standing there, she dropped the basket of clothes onto the floor. She trembled as she brought a hand to her gaping mouth, covering it. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't move for fear that this was some kind of hallucination and Dean would just vanish if she tried to go to him.

"Well, you're the first person today that hasn't tried to kill me," he said quietly.

Oshea swallowed hard and stepped over the fallen basket and clothes. She walked fast then broke into a jog, going over to him and throwing her arms around him tightly. "I don't know what you are… demon… shape shifter… I don't care…." She said, clinging to him. "Anything that lets me see Dean again…" Her voice trailed off.

Dean held her tightly for a moment before pulling her away. "It's really me. I already went to see Bobby and Sam and Ella, and all three of them tried to kill me. But we're all on the same page now… except for why and how I'm back. Anything you want to say to me?" He arched a brow seriously.

Oshea shook her head, smiling brightly. "I… I can't believe it's really you." She said quietly. When he questioned her, she frowned a little and shook her head. "I… what are you talking about?" She blinked and her brows lifted. "Wait… do you think I…?" She shook her head slowly, lowering her eyes. "No, Dean. I tried. I tried every crossroads for miles and all of them laughed in my face and turned me down."

Dean furrowed his brows. "I don't get this," he said shaking his head. "If Sam didn't make a deal, and if you didn't… then what brought me back?"

"Does it matter…?" Oshea said, shaking her head. "You're back." She smiled, lifting her hand and touching his face. "You're back and none of us are getting dragged to Hell."

Dean shook his head. "Before we left to go find Sam, Bobby mentioned heading over to this one psychic he knows to see if she can figure out what did _this_," he said, pulling up his sleeve for the third time that day. Oshea's eyes narrowed and she lifted a hand, brushing the pads of her fingers over the raised welt in the shape of the hand.

"I've… I've never see anything like this before." She said with a frown. She stepped back a little and walked over to the pile of clothes she'd dropped. She dumped them into the basket without folding them. "Well, let's go find this psychic then."

The door of Pamela Barnes' front door swung open, revealing a dark haired woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing a black Ramones shirt and tight dark jeans. Her smile brightened when she saw Bobby, and gave him a friendly hug. "Bobby!" She looked over at Sam and Dean. "Mm-mmm…" she said, grinning a little. "Dean Winchester, out of the fire and back in the frying pan, makes you a rare individual," she said, and her gaze moved over and rested on the two sisters. "Name's Pamela, and you are?"

Ella glared at Pamela as her eyes lingered over Sam and Dean, and when she looked at her and Ella, she faked a smile. "I'm Ella. This is my sister Oshea," she said with a nod.

Pamela nodded, smiling and then looking over at Bobby. "I've Ouijied my way through a dozen spirits, no one seems to know who broke your boy out or why."

"So what do we do next?" Dean asked.

Pamela shrugged. "A séance I think. "

"You're not gonna summon the thing here are you?" Bobby asked as he arched a brow. Oshea had her arms crossed over her chest, staying close to Dean as she eyed Pamela.

Pamela noticed this and smirked. "Don't worry, hun, I like tall guys," she said with a wink at Sam. She shook her head at Bobby, chuckling a bit. "No, just a little preview. Like a crystal ball without the crystal," she said, stepping through the doorway and going into her house, letting them follow.

Oshea arched a brow at Pamela and glanced to Ella. Sam blinked as he looked over at Pamela and gave a little shy smile. He cleared his throat a little and followed after her into the next room.

Pamela threw a black blanket with a Devil's Trap symbol on it in white. She set up the room for the spell, setting up candles around the room and on the table. "You guys ready?"

Bobby nodded, looking around the table at the others. Oshea sat beside Dean, nodding as well, holding onto Dean's hand with one hand and her sister's the with other. Sam sat beside of Ella and Bobby, holding their hands. Sam looked up at Pamela. "We're all ready."

Pamela smiled, sitting down on the other side of Dean. "I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Dean pulled up his sleeve and Pamela reached over and placed her hand over the reddish handprint on Dean's arm, and began to chant, with her eyes closed. The television turned itself on and hissed with static, the lights flickered and crackled. As she chanted, a voice began to speak to her. _"Pamela, my name is Castiel. You have to stop this."_

"Castiel? Castiel, no, I don't scare that easy."

"Castiel?" Dean asked, peeking for a second through squinted eyes.

Pamela nodded. "That's it's name. It's warning me, urging me to turn back."

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby said, opening his eyes to look over at Pamela as the table began to shake, rocking the candles on the table. Oshea gasped, her eyes coming open as well as she felt the table jerking as if they were experiencing an earthquake.

The voice grew firm as it spoke to her. _"Pamela Barnes, you must listen to me, for your own safety. Stop this now." _

Pamela started struggling, her eyes remaining closed.

"Maybe you should stop-?" Dean said.

"No. I've almost got him," she said, and continued to chant.

"_Pamela, stop it! PAMELA!" _As she chanted, a bright light began to appear before her eyes. The light took on a form and continued to grow brighter and brighter until the light engulfed the figure and began to grow so bright it was burning.

Pamela screamed as flames burst through her eyes. When the flames disappeared, she fell over out of the chair. Bobby stood up quickly and rushed over to her side, curving an arm beneath her back and lifting her up from the floor. "Someone call 911!" Sam nodded quickly and stood up from the table, running from the room to make the call. Oshea stood up from the table and looked over it toward the fallen psychic.

"What just happened?"

Pamela started to sob. "Oh god…" She opened her eyelids. "I can't see… I can't see…"

Oshea's eyes widened and she threw her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. Bobby stiffened as he looked down at Pamela's face. Two streams of blood had spilled from her burnt eyelids that were curved around black and empty eye sockets.

"I can't see!" Pamela cried out again.


	21. City Of The Angels

"How's Pamela?" Dean asked as Sam stepped into Bobby's house, just returning from the hospital. Dean was sitting on the couch next to Oshea, and Ella was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, leaning against the doorframe.

Sam sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "She's… she's hanging in there." He said quietly. He looked to Dean and Bobby. "What are we going to do now? This thing is apparently worse than we thought. It burned Pamela's eyes out of their sockets…"

"I say we summon Castiel, whatever he is… it's risky, but whatever this thing is… it wanted Dean out of Hell for a reason," Ella said with a nod.

Bobby looked to Ella and nodded. "Sounds like our best bet to me, but we have to cover all our bases first. We have some work to do."

"Holy crap," was the first thing Ella said when they stepped into Bobby's shed. Every inch of the place was covered in symbols of all types, drawn in black spray paint. She looked around incredulously at the artwork around them. "This is awesome."

Oshea looked around at the various artwork and smiled a little. "I'm very impressed."

Bobby grumbled a little at the compliments and passed out weapons to them all before he sat down on the edge of a table. "Alright, well… here goes." Bobby said before he began to chant. After he had finished the chant, nothing happened. Sam frowned slightly as he looked around the room.

"Is… uh… something supposed to happen?"

Ella arched a brow. "I don't think it worked."

As the words left her lips, the wind outside the shed began to howl, and the lights started to flicker.

"Call it wishful thinking but maybe that's just the wind?" Dean spoke up.

Oshea straightened and cocked the gun she was holding, moving to stand by Dean. Bobby stood up from the table, lifting his own weapon. The lights hanging from the ceiling of the shed began to swing and shudder. The doors flew open and a young man wearing a black suit, a blue tie and a khaki trench coat stepped through. As he walked toward them, the bulbs of the lights began to burst, showering sparks down on him.

They all watched him for a moment, and then began firing their weapons, but the man continued to walk, not phased by the rocksalt and bullets. The young man continued forward until he reached Dean. Seeing the guns were not working, Oshea dropped hers while Bobby and Sam continued to shoot and went to the table Bobby had been sitting on. She grabbed a knife and stabbed the young man in the chest. He glanced toward her and grabbed the hilt of the knife, pulling it free and tossing it onto the ground.

"Dean," He said slowly in a low voice. "We need to talk… alone…" He stretched out his hand and pressed the pads of his first two fingers against Dean's forehead. He and Dean instantly vanished from the shed. Oshea's eyes widened.

"Dean? Dean!"

Dean found himself standing in a wide open field with golden swaying grass. There was a single large tree standing in the distance, its dark leaves and branches swaying gently in the breeze. The clouds above the field were black and churning and lightning was spreading along the underside of the clouds, stretching out like thin, gnarled fingers. In the center of the field was an old, decrepit armchair which was occupied by a limp scarecrow.

"What the he-" He looked around and then saw the man in the trench coat standing in front of him. "Who are you?"

"Castiel." The young man said as thunder crashed above them and rain started to fall down on them.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah I guessed that, I mean what are you?"

Castiel blinked a little as the rain dampened his hair and dripped down into his face. "I am an angel of the Lord."

Dean stared at Castiel for a full ten seconds before speaking. "You're…" Dean shook his head. "There's no such thing."

"Yes there is." He said lowly. The lightning flashed again and in the light Dean could see the ebony shadow of two wings spreading from Castiel's back.

Dean's eyes widened at the wings, and then a moment later, they were gone. "Angel? Some angel you are, you burned out Pamela's eyes."

Castiel lowered his eyes and sighed. "I tried to warn her. I told her not to spy on my true visage. It can be… overwhelming to humans. So can my voice, but… you already know that."

"You mean the gas station…. That was you talking? Buddy, next time lower the volume." Dean smirked bitterly. "And what visage are you in now? Holy tax accountant?"

Castiel looked down at himself and touched the front of the trench coat and the suit. "Oh this… this is a vessel." He said, looking up at Dean again.

"You're possessing some poor guy?" Dean said, an eyebrow raised.

"He's a… devout man, he actually prayed for this." The angel said quietly.

"Right… well, pal, I'm not buying into this angel crap, so who are you really?"

Castiel's brows furrowed slightly and he tilted his head, looking a little confused. "I told you…"

"Well if you're telling the truth, then tell me this; Why would an angel rescue me from Hell?" Dean asked. "What makes me so special?

"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel said quietly as stepped closer to Dean.

Dean shook his head. "Not in my experience."

"What's the matter, Dean?" The angel leaned a little closer. "Do you not think you are worthy to be saved?"

"Why did you do it? Why did you bring me back?"

"Because God commanded it." Castiel said softly. "Because we have work for you."

"An angel? Are you kidding me?" Ella asked, once they were all safely back inside Bobby's living room. "With wings and everything?"

"What did he look like?" Oshea said with a smile, her legs crossed together Indian style on the couch.

"Just some nerdy guy with wings and a trench coat," he said with an eye roll.

"Not… what I would have expected." Oshea said, her brows furrowing.

"So… not that I'm not very grateful to this angel for bringing you back, but… did he say why?" Sam said.

Dean paced back in forth of Bobby's desk, where several piles of books were piled on top of it. He shrugged. "He said… God wanted me back."

"It fits," Bobby said from his desk, looking up from the book he had been flipping through. "It says that an angel can snatch a soul from Hell."

"Wow," Oshea said, stretching out her legs in front of her and leaning back on the couch. "This is huge… I mean… there must be something major going on if angels are yanking people from Hell. Did Castiel give you any specifics like why God wants you back?"

Dean shook his head. "All he said is that he has work for me."

Ella frowned. "Well he sure is specific."

"So what do we do now?" Sam said, looking to Dean.

Dean shrugged. "I guess we just wait for mister angel to show himself again."


	22. Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind

Ella excused herself from the booth she, Dean, Sam, and Oshea were sitting at inside a diner just outside of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. A few weeks had passed since Dean had been back, and Castiel had made himself known, and they still had no news on the exact reason Dean was back, and Castiel had not made any reappearances. They had kept themselves busy and worked a case, and now that they were done, they stopped for a bite to eat before they went on to their next job. The case they had just worked was nothing special, just your average poltergeist. Ella examined herself in the ladies room mirror, noticing a small cut just above her left eyebrow. She frowned a bit and dabbed the slightly bleeding cut with a damp paper towel, wincing and then throwing it away. When she looked back up at the mirror, she saw a young boy standing behind her, his skin a pale bluish color, and his clothes and hair dripping water. Ella gasped and turned around quickly to face him. "Chris…" She choked out.

The boy inclined his head, his eyes narrowing. "It's your fault that I died, Ellie." He said lowly, his voice scratchy. When he spoke, water dribbled from between his lips and spilled onto the front of his drenched shirt. "You were my older sister, you were supposed to protect me. Instead you let that kelpie take me and drag me down into the depths and drown me." Water poured from his lips and mouth, he gurgled softly as he spoke. He moved toward Ella, clenching his fists. "You could have stopped it! You could have saved me!"

Ella's eyes started to fill with tears. "I'm so sorry, Christopher. We tried to save you. Me and Oshea… we… we hunted it down until we found it and killed it."

"A little late don't you think?" The boy said with a smirk, spreading out his arms then letting them drop to his sides with a wet flop, splashing water onto the floor.

Ella backed away. "No, Chris… why are you doing this?" She tried to back away, but was stopped by the counter behind her.

"Because you let me die. You let that kelpie drown me! Now, I'm going to make sure you pay. Why should you get to live when I had to die?" He said, stepping forward. The bathroom door opened, and Oshea stepped inside.

"Ella, are you okay? What's-" She stopped as she saw Christopher standing in the bathroom. "Christopher?"

Christopher turned toward her, his form flickering. "You let me die! It's your fault I died!"

Oshea trembled as she backed against the door, bringing a hand to cover her mouth. "No… no, Christopher, I tried…"

"You saw what was going to happen! YOU SAW IT, and you did NOTHING!" He shouted, moving toward her.

As he came closer, Ella saw a symbol carved into Christopher's wrist. "Oshea…" she said slowly. "We have to get out of here."

Oshea glanced toward her, tears running down her face. She nodded, reaching back into the waistband of her jeans and pulling out a gun. She cocked the weapon and fired it at the spirit. As it screeched and vanished, she lowered the weapon, sinking down to the floor of the bathroom.

"Oshea, come on!" She said, walking over to her sister and tugging on her arm.

Oshea staggered to her feet and moved out of the bathroom with her, glancing back toward the door to the room as it swung closed. Sam looked up and frowned as he saw them rushing back toward the booth where they had been eating. "What happened?"

"We saw our brother. Our dead brother," Ella said after a long pause. "He's… trying to get us back for getting him killed…"

Sam stood up from the booth and moved to Ella. "Are you okay? Where did you see him?"

Oshea swallowed hard, curving her arms around herself. "The lady's room."

Dean walked past Ella, Oshea, and Sam and into the ladies room and glanced around, seeing it empty. He walked back to where they were standing. "Why would your dead brother… go to a diner in the middle of nowhere and attack you?"

"You'll take any excuse to go into a ladies room won't you, Dean?" Sam said with a little smirk.

Oshea shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. "I don't know… but I had to shoot him, Dean." She said shakily. "I had to _shoot_ him."

"Well it doesn't look like he's sticking around, and I say we get the heck out of dodge before he does decide to give us another visit," Ella said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not particularly in the mood to see the ghost of our dead brother again," she said, looking at Sam.

Sam laid a hand against her back between her shoulder blades, giving her back a little rub before he looked to Dean. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel. We can call Bobby and see if there is anything going on."


	23. None Of Us Are Free

When they arrived at the hotel, Oshea walked over to her bed and sat down on it heavily, running her fingers through her hair as she pulled out her gun and sat it down beside of her on the edge of the bed. Her hands would not stop shaking. She wrung them together in her lap as Sam walked Ella into the hotel.

After Dean had gotten off the phone with Bobby, he walked over to Oshea's bed and sat down next to her. "Bobby says he doesn't know why you're brother's suddenly back. I'm sorry… but he said he'll call if he finds out anything."

"Thank you, Dean." Oshea said, glancing at him briefly. Suddenly, a lean woman stepped from the bathroom into the hotel room. She was wearing a black shirt beneath an olive colored jacket and a pair of jeans. Her thick, brown hair reached down just passed her shoulders and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Hello, boys…" She said with a bitter smirk.

"Ellen?" Sam and Dean both said at once.

Ellen gave a slow nod, moving further into the room and glancing briefly at Ella and Oshea before turning her attention back to the brothers. "In the flesh…"

"How are you alive, Ellen?" Dean asked.

Ellen's jaw tightened as her form flickered, "Well… maybe not exactly the flesh. I'm more… with you in spirit." She said lowly. Sam's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ellen… what happened?"

"What happened?" She said, arching a brow. "What happened? What happened is that you let me _die_."

"Crap," Dean muttered. "Ellen… We came to the Roadhouse as fast as we could, it was too late."

"Well isn't that convenient? You get there in time to save everyone else… but you couldn't save me. Or Ash for that matter." She said, glaring at Dean. "I never even saw it coming. One minute I was going into work, the next…. Boom." She said, spreading out her hands to mimic the explosion. "And now, my daughter is out there somewhere alone. Because of you."

Dean looked down at the floor. "We're sorry, Ellen," He looked back up. "But we tried. I think I get the game now. You're trying to get even with us for letting you die."

"That's only fair, don't you agree, boy? An eye for an eye," She said with a bitter smirk as she strode up toward him and Sam. "I'm going to make you feel the same pain that Jo has had to feel… the pain of living without your family…" With that said, she shoved her hand into Sam's chest.

"SAM!" Both Ella and Dean said at the same time. "Get away from him!" Ella shouted, her eyes frantically searching the room for a weapon. Oshea's eyes widened and she reached for her gun, lifting it and aiming it, but she did not shoot for fear of hitting Sam.

Sam gasped, his eyes wide as blood gathered at his lips and started to spill down his chin. He coughed, choking on the blood. Ellen looked between the two of them and smirked as she shook her head, digging her arm deeper while Sam writhed on the bed. Oshea shivered as she felt something wet run down her face. She tilted her head back and gasped as she saw her brother standing over her on the bed behind her. She jerked up from the bed and aimed the gun at him as he stepped off the bed and started toward her.

"This is all your fault. You could have stopped this!"

Ella cursed under her breath and grabbed the keys to the Impala out of Dean's hands, running from the motel room and out to the car, Dean following close behind. They gathered various weapons out of the trunk as fast as they could and then ran back inside the room. "Hey, Ellen, sorry about this," Dean said a little sarcastically as he aimed the shotgun at her and fired rocksalt at her.

Ellen's form shuddered and vanished in a dark fog lined with glowing embers. Christopher vanished as Oshea tried to shoot him with rocksalt. He reappeared behind Ella, clawing at her midsection violently. Oshea gasped and cocked the weapon, firing again and hitting the boy in the center of the forehead. He burst into the dark fog and flames like Ellen and the room was quiet again except for the sound of Sam's labored breathing.

Dean rushed over to Sam. "Sammy, you okay?"

"Oh yeah, Dean…," Sam grunted, spitting out a bit of blood. "I just had a spirit who looked like Ellen rearrange my insides… but I'm just _peachy._" He said, putting a hand to the wound on his chest as he tried to sit himself up. Oshea moved over to Ella, taking the case off of one of the pillows on the bed and pressing it to her wound.

"We need to get out of here, they're going to be back…"


	24. When The Night Comes Down

"Run that by me again?" Bobby said, his brows furrowing. Sam was sitting in one of the chairs of Bobby's panic room, sipping at a beer. Oshea was kneeling by Ella, finishing bandaging the wound in her side. Sam sighed and looked up at Bobby.

"Ellen attacked us. She was blaming us for her dying… or, well… Dean, specifically." Sam explained. "Oh… and it was strange, she had this weird mark on her hand…"

Ella nodded. "Our brother had the same one on his wrist."

"What'd it look like?" Bobby asked.

Sam stood up with a grunt and walked over to the desk, grabbing a small notebook and sketching it out. When he was finished, he held it up to show the others and when they agreed that was what they saw, he gave it to Bobby. Bobby looked at the paper and frowned thoughtfully. "I think I've seen this before." He said, grabbing one of his books and flipping through before he stopped on one of the pages. "Oh, this isn't good."

"It never is," Sam said as he sat down heavily back in his seat.

"What is it, Bobby?" Oshea asked, standing up from her crouching position by her sister.

"The brand on the ghost, it's the Mark of the Witness," Bobby looked up from the paper.

"Witness?" Sam asked. "Witness to what?"

"The unnatural. None of 'em died what you'd call ordinary deaths. These ghosts were forced to rise… Some one rose 'em on purpose. Whoever it was used a spell so powerful that it left a mark, a brand on their souls," Bobby sighed before he continued. "It's called Rise of the Witness. It figures into an ancient prophecy. "

Dean stood up and walked over to him. "Wait, what book is that prophecy from?"

"Well the widely distributed one's just for tourists, ya know, but long story short… Revelations."

The four of them stared at Bobby a moment.

"This is a sign."

"A sign of what?" Dean and Sam both said.

"The apocalypse," Bobby finally said after a moment.

"Apocalypse? As in apocalypse apocalypse?" Dean repeated, arching a brow.

"No, a fake one, full of ponies and rainbows," Ella rolled her eyes.

Dean ignored her. "As in... Four Horsemen, Pestilence, five dollar a gallon gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one," Bobby nodded. "The Rise of the Witness is a mile marker.

"Okay, so how do you suggest we survive our friends out there?" Oshea said, glancing over to Bobby.

"Yeah, any ideas aside from staying in this room til judgment day?" Dean asked.

"There is a ritual. To send the witnesses back to rest, should work," Bobby replied.

"Should? Heh. Great," Sam muttered.

"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you've got everything we need here in this room?" Ella asked hopefully.

"And you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden?" Bobby rolled his eyes and stood up from the chair, the five of them gathering the books and cocking their weapons. "Spells gotta be cast over an open fire."

"Fireplace in the library?"

"Bingo."

Dean sighed. "This is not as appealing as a ghost proof panic room, you know?"

"Alright, we'll get you the things you need." Oshea said, cocking her shotgun as they started upstairs. Bobby nodded as he pulled the books off the desk and began to draw a circle and a five pointed star in the center with chalk.

"I'll go with you," Ella said, wincing a bit as she stood up from the couch.

Dean shook his head. "I'll go with her, you should stay here with Bobby and help set things up. You shouldn't be moving around much," he said, nodding towards her side.

Sam glanced to Ella, "I'll be back." He said before he cocked his weapon and stepped away, going into the kitchen and grabbing cans of salt. He came back to the room where Bobby was setting up with Ella. He opened one of the cans and began to spread it in a circle about the desk and the fireplace. Oshea moved quickly with Dean through the house, helping him to gather the items that Bobby had told them to get.

Ella stepped away from the circle and looked over it. "Bobby, you really think this is going to work?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, it should do the trick." He looked up, frowning deeply as two young girls appeared just outside of the circle, glaring at him. "Just stay inside the circle." He said, trying to ignore the flickering young girls. He grabbed a shotgun with rocksalt and tossed it to Ella.

Oshea rushed back toward the circle and carefully stepped over the ring of salt, giving Bobby the things she had gathered up. "Dean should be here with the rest soon."

Ella joined her sister and Bobby inside the circle. Dean walked into the room, a handful of items for the spell. "I think this is the rest of it," he said, laying the items next to a large copper bowl on the desk. Most of the things were different types of herbs and leaves.

Bobby nodded and began to mix the leaves and herbs together as Sam stepped in from another room and joined them in the circle. Bobby flipped open a book to the ritual. "Just keep the spirits busy while I read off the ritual."

Dean stepped in the circle, a double-barrel shotgun in hand.

"You let us die, Bobby," the two little girls said together. "You were right there, Bobby, and you couldn't save us."

Bobby was reading off the ritual when the girls began to speak to him. He glanced up briefly and watched the girls a moment before lowering his eyes again and trying to concentrate on the ritual. He stirred the bowl a little as he spoke. Oshea looked up at the girls and started to aim the gun toward them, but stopped when her brother reappeared. She turned the gun toward him.

"You let me die, Oshea… you should have stopped this… you should have stopped it."

The windows suddenly were thrown open and a harsh wind blew through them, the window panes crashing against the walls. The wind tugged at the salt forming the circle and scattered it.

Ella looked down at the salt line that was close to breaking, her eyes widening a bit as she shot at Christopher's flickering form.

"Bobby, could you speed this up a little bit?" Dean said, shouting over the sound of the wind howling through the windows.

"Doing my best." Bobby said between reading the words of the ritual. Oshea shivered as she watched her brother's form disappeared again and she turned her weapon on the girls, making to fire on them, but they were gone. Bobby gasped as the girls appeared on the other side of the broken circle and attacked him. "Dean! Throw it in the fire!" He said as his grip on the bowl of herbs and leaves started to fall out of his hand.

Dean tossed the shotgun he was holding to Ella, who quickly caught it, and he dived towards the ground, catching the bowl just in time. He quickly sat up and threw the bowl into the fire place. As soon as the ingredients hit the flames, a bright blue and white light exploded through the house, immediately destroying the spirits.

The light faded after a few moments, and the only people left in the room were Bobby, Ella, Dean, Oshea, and Sam. Ella gasped, looking around. "It actually worked."

Bobby looked over at her and spread out his arms. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I mean, I'm just surpri- I mean…. who wants some pizza?"

Oshea lifted a hand as she sat down on the couch, lowering her weapon. "I could definitely go for some pizza."

Sam chuckled and nodded. "I'll second that."

"Will there be pie involved?" Dean piped up. "I love me some pie."


	25. Desperate Times

Elizabethville, Ohio

Hilarie Galeotti brushed her fingers through her hair as she moved down the hallways of the Raven Hill Orphanage. A few young children scampered by her, and she chuckled, backing against the wall to allow them to pass. "No running in the hall!" She called good naturedly over her shoulder. Humming, she shook her head to herself as she found toys littering the edges of the hallway. "Addison, what have I told you about leaving your toys out here!" She bent at the waist and began to scoop them up. She coughed as she brought the limp rag doll and the stuffed bear to her chest. The coughing continued and she frowned as she felt pressure against her chest. She straightened, still holding the toys to her chest and continued toward Addison's room. She was about halfway there when she began to cough violently. The toys fell from her hands and clattered to the floor. She brought a hand to her chest and another toward her mouth, catching the blood and bile that was oozing from her lips. She groaned and dropped to her knees, shivering. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the color drained from her face as she looked down the hallway, seeing a child standing at the end of the hall, her brows furrowed. The child was wearing an old fashioned black, red and white plaid dress. Her hair was done in pigtails. Hilarie opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was blood and vomit. The child's form flickered then vanished as Hilarie finally fell still.

Boulder, Colorado

Two Days Later.

12:42 AM

The hotel room was quiet and moonlight was spilling through the thick curtains onto the queen beds that Sam, Ella, Dean and Oshea shared. The lights flickered and without a sound, a figure appeared in the midst of the room. Moving easily across the floor, he crossed over to the bed where Dean was sleeping. "Dean." He said lowly. He touched the pads of his index and middle finger lightly to Dean's forehead. "Wake up, Dean."

Dean's eyes opened instantly and he shot up in the bed. "Castiel… did you just use your angel powers to make me wake up?" He asked with a glare. "What do you want?"

"Yes," Castiel said calmly, unphased by Dean's obvious annoyance. "This is of the utmost importance. It could not wait until morning."

Dean sighed, rubbing his eyes and then letting him fall back on top of the covers on his lap. "What is it?"

"In an orphanage in Ohio, members of the staff are being killed." Castiel said slowly. "Over sixty have been killed. The most recent was killed two days ago. You and the others must go there and stop them from killing anymore people. If just three more die, it will be sixty six that have been slain. You cannot allow that to happen."

"Wait… what are you talking about?" Dean asked, shaking his head.

"You must listen to me, Dean. This is very important." Castiel's brows furrowed. "If the spirits are allowed to kill the last three then one of the 600 seals will be broken." He paused a moment then continued. "Think of the seals as locks on a door. If just 66 of the 600 seals are broken, then all Hell will break loose, quite literally. The earth will be completely destroyed."

Dean's eyes widened a bit as he stared at Castiel. "What are these _seals_? And why do you need our help stopping them from being broken? Why can't all your little angel buddies take care of this mess?"

"We're trying," Castiel said, his brows furrowing. "Several of my brothers and sisters have died trying to keep the demons from breaking the seals. Our forces are not unlimited, Dean. There are 600 seals, we cannot be everywhere at once. We have to prevent this seal from being broken at all costs."

Dean sighed. "Where'd you say that orphanage was, again?"

"Elizabethville, Ohio," Castiel replied.

"Okay then," he said with a nod. "I'm going back to sleep now, we'll deal with this in the morning." Before he finished speaking, Castiel had disappeared from the hotel room, leaving Dean as the only one who was awake.

_xx_

The next morning, Dean informed Sam, Ella, and Oshea of the "66 seals" situation over breakfast, also telling them about the yearly murders dating back twenty years at the local orphanage in Elizabethville, Ohio. Sam had brought his laptop along with them to the diner they were eating at, and was working on researching the past of Raven Hill Orphanage.

"You're not going to believe this," Sam mumbled as he pecked at the keys of the laptop. "Thirty years ago, a guy named Thomas Dekker became the head master. When he took over the position, the orphanage was overrun with kids and it was losing money. The city was threatening to shut it down. So Dekker started to poison the children by mixing embalming chemicals into their food. The kids would get sick and die and there would be more room, and Dekker was able to get more money from the city because he said the kids died because the facility was not able to be kept up on the funds they were already receiving. After the kids died, he would throw the bodies into unmarked mass graves on the property somewhere. Apparently some of the staff was in on the scheme, too, because no one found out about what he was doing until ten years later when these three kids, Laura Birkman, Andrew Callahan, and Daniel O'Hare figured out that something was going on. They saw the people in the kitchen putting things into the food and tried to tell other staff members, but of course they just went to Dekker, who of course denied everything. When Dekker found out which kids were talking, he put a huge dose in their food and staff members forced them to eat it. Needless to say, the kids died and he tossed them into the graves. After seeing those kids die that way, though, one of the staff members came clean and Dekker and his accomplices were arrested. Since then, there have been reports of staff members becoming sick and dying. Three a year. The last person that died, Hilarie Galeotti, died three days ago and she was the third for this year. That makes… 63..."

"So, three more and it's not just an orphanage with evil children spirits and a pile of dead staff members, it's also broken seal?" Ella said, leaning over and looking at the screen of Sam's laptop, and then looking at Oshea and Dean, eyebrows raised.

"Exactly," Sam said with a nod. "They've never killed more than three people in a year, so we should have plenty of time to figure things out right?" He said, looking up at the others. "All we have to do is find their remains and burn them."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Oshea said. "They were buried in mass graves so all we'd have to do is find the graves and just burn everything."

Ella nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Does it mention where the graves are?" She asked, her eyes returning to the computer screen, looking over Sam's shoulder.

"No, but I'm guessing somewhere on the grounds… um…," Sam pulled open a map of the orphanage grounds and tapped the screen. "There is a big field out here and a small grove of trees. Probably back there somewhere."

"Okay, so I guess we'd better get over to Ohio and burn those bones. I bet the orphanage is going to love us having a massive bonfire out in their backyard," Dean said with a scoff.

"I don't know, Dean, this just seems too easy." Sam said as he closed his computer. "If all that we have to do to stop this is burn the bones don't you think the angels would have handled this already?"

Dean put the half eaten burger back down on his plate and shook his head. "I don't know, man, this whole thing just doesn't seem right. The angels say their numbers are limited, but they're pretty much the most powerful beings on the friggen' planet. I don't see why they're turning to four hunters when they've got who knows how many angels on their side."

"So, what should we do, Dean? This case is throwing all kinds of red flags up for me." Sam said with a frown, picking at his salad. "But we can't just not go and let the seal be broken."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Castiel made it pretty clear that we had to save this seal."

"I say we go." Oshea said with a shrug, looking at the both of them. "Either way we're screwed. I say we go and torch the graves and get out. We'll just be very careful. Castiel said that the angels and demons were fighting over these seals so it's a good chance we'll be running into some. Ella, we need to call Scarlett and get her to send us the knife."

Dean arched a brow. "The knife? What knife?"

"A while back Ella and I came into possession of a knife than can kill demons." Oshea said, turning to Dean.

Ella nodded, pulling out her cell phone, and standing up from the booth. "Yeah, I'll go call her, I'll be right back."

When Ella left the booth, Dean turned to Oshea, his eyebrows raised. "So... there's really a knife out there that _kills_ demons. Not just send them back to Hell, but actually kill them?"

Oshea nodded, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "Yes, it kills them."

Sam glanced from Dean to Oshea. "I wish we had known about this knife before."

"Yeah, it really would have come in handy," Dean said, nodding.

Ella returned to the booth, putting her phone in her pocket as she slid into the seat next to Sam. "Scarlett's gonna ship it over to our P.O. box in Jefferson City, Missouri. We can stop by there on our way to Ohio."

Oshea nodded, "Thanks, Ella. So, we ready?"

Sam looked over to Dean. "What do you think, Dean?"

"I guess we're goin' to Ohio," he said with a shrug as he picked up his burger and started to eat.


	26. Before They Make Me Run

Oshea opened the door to the hotel they had stopped at for the night carrying in a box. "Well, here it is." She said, closing the door behind herself and walking over to her bed. She sat down on the side of it and pulled open the box. She removed the knife and held it up for Dean and Sam to see. "This is it. The demon killing knife."

Dean held out his hand for the knife and after Oshea handed it to him, he looked it over, examining the strange engravings and ragged edges. "Looks like any other knife to me."

"It's been tested." Oshea said as she watched him look it over. "Don't worry it works."

When Dean was done looking it over, Ella took it. "We were working a case a couple years earlier and we came across a demon who was trying to kill a little girl. While Oshea was getting her to safety, I was left to take care of the demon. The only weapon I had on me was this," she waved the knife in the air, "So I stabbed the demon right in the heart with it, and it _died. _Only bad thing about it is it not only kills the demon, it kills the person it's possessing," Ella explained with a frown, looking down at the knife. She sighed and then put the weapon in her back pocket.

Oshea nodded, tossing the box away into one of the trashcans. Sam was resting his elbows on his knees as he listened. When she was finished, he straightened. "So, what's the plan for Ohio?"

"Well, I made some calls and I got Ella and I a job working at the orphanage." Oshea said. "Ella is going to be working as one of the guardians, keeping a watch over the kids and I'm going to be working as a secretary in the office, it'll give me access to all the files."

Dean nodded. "And while you two are doing that, we'll look around outside, looking for where Dekker buried the bodies."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said. "We can just do the whole FBI investigating spiel."

"Ella and I are going to take a plane there tonight and get started. We shouldn't all arrive at the same time, it'll look a little suspicious. We'll have our phones and the knife. We'll give it to you when you get there." Oshea said as she stood up from the bed. "We'll snoop around and see if we can figure out where they buried the bodies."

"Sounds good."

_xx_

Sam and Dean arrived at the Raven Hill Motel, a couple of miles away from the Raven Hill Orphanage itself. Ella and Oshea had called them few hours earlier and told them to meet them there at the motel. Dean slid out from behind the wheel of the Impala, closing the door behind him and walking with Sam into the motel. It was a pretty decent motel, but like it's name, it was also a bit creepy. Ella and Oshea were staying on the second floor, so they took the stairs, and then knocked when they reached their door.

The door swung open, revealing a very annoyed looking Ella, a small cut on her lip and a light bruise starting to form on her jaw. She stepped away from the door as Sam and Dean walked through, and she sat on the edge of her bed.

Sam's brows furrowed and he moved over to her, looking at the cut and bruise. "I take it things haven't been going well. What happened to you?"

"She was attacked by demons." Oshea said as she walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair off with a towel. She was wearing a dirty white button down and a skirt that reached down to the middle of her thighs. "I was inside doing some digging around the office, looking through some files, next thing I know I'm hearing screaming and yelling and I run outside and find a demons crawling all over the place. Glad we didn't let you both keep the knife." She said, tossing the towel back into the bathroom. "Something major is going on here, guys. The spirits were going crazy. They've killed someone else."

"What? They've never killed more than three people a year." Sam said, looking from Ella to Oshea.

"Exactly." Oshea said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes a little as she sat down on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through her damp hair.

"Which proves Castiel was telling the truth," Ella said with a nod. "About this being a seal."

"Which means they only have to kill two more people. Fantastic," Dean said sarcastically.

"Which means we need to move quickly," Oshea said, pulling a hair bow from around her wrist, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "We haven't had much luck." She sighed. "At least you guys are here now. Ella was able to find the graves though before she and I got our butts kicked. Obviously we couldn't have a bonfire with all the demons out there. We had to leave, we couldn't fight them all."

"I guess we should head that way now, then. Sam and I will go to that spot and see if we can't kick some demons butt's with your little magic knife," Dean said with a smirk.

Ella nodded. "Sounds like a good plan," she said, pulling the knife out of her back pocket and handing it to him. "Better said than done, though, you guys better be careful. The place is crawling with demons. We killed a few, but there were just too many."

Sam nodded. "Alright. You both stay here, we'll be back." He said, setting down his suitcase by one of the beds. Oshea sighed and nodded.

"Okay, guys. We're going to take a nap. Call us if you need anything."

Ella nodded. "My head is killing me. You guys be careful, seriously. See you in a little while."

_xx_

"Ella said that the graves were here in the trees." Sam said as he walked through the tall fir trees that littered the back yard of the orphanage. "Do you think they marked them some way?" He asked, looking over at Dean. "Maybe a wooden stake… or a pile of stones or a-" He was interrupted by a fist into his face as a female stepped out from behind a tree and punched him. He gasped, staggering backwards.

"Son of a-" Dean was interrupted as he found himself being pushed forward, and he fell onto the grass. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the male demon for a second before kicking the demon's legs, sending him falling to the ground. Dean quickly pulled the knife out of his pocket and stabbed the demon in the chest, light flickering and surging through it's body until it stopped for a moment, and then flashed brightly one time. Dean yanked the knife out of the wound, and stood up, only to find three demons standing behind him. "Crap."

Sam pushed himself up and cocked his weapon, shooting at the demons around him. He rushed over to Dean, shooting at the demons standing around him. He cocked his weapon again and cursed, flipping open the weapon and starting to reload when he was thrown away into the trunks of one of the trees. His gun dropped from his hands and skittered away on the ground. Four more of the demons appeared, two going toward Dean and the other two rushing toward Sam, who was crawling toward his gun. He had just about reached it when he was thrown into the upper branches of another tree.

Dean glanced over at Sam, shouting his name and then charging towards one of the demons, and lifted the knife into the air. As he was about to bring it down into the demon's chest, he was tugged backwards by a demon and punched in the face by another. Sam dropped down from the trees and landed on top of his gun. He grunted, rolling over and pulling the gun into his hands. He hurriedly loaded the weapon and cocked it before firing at the demon that ran over toward him. He climbed up quickly and fired at the demon that had punched Dean. "Dean!" He gasped as he was thrown back again. He fell onto the ground and grunted, cocking the gun again as he tried to stand. He was stopped as a demon waltzed over to him and began to kick him in the ribs repeatedly.

Another demon walked over to Dean, her eyes flickering black for a moment as she grabbed the collar of his shirt, jerking him up. The knife he was holding fell out of his hand and onto the grass. "Dean, Dean, Dean… Did you really expect to just show up here with your freakishly tall, pretty face brother and kill us all with one wimpy little pigstick like the badass you _think _you are, and then burn these bones?" She said, grinning as she nodded her head towards the ground below her. "Wow, you are _dumb. _You're lucky you have your good looks."

Dean gritted his teeth, "I'm going to kill you."

The demon laughed humorlessly. "No you're not. And you're not going to save this seal, either. Your pretty little girlfriends are going to die, too."

Sam shot the demon and groaned softly as he pushed himself up. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the demon that was holding Dean and he rushed forward, cocking his gun. He cursed and dug in his jacket for more bullets, but found that he was out. Dropping the gun, he pulled out a flask from the inner pocket of his jacket and rushed forward while unscrewing the flask. He then rushed toward the demon and flung the contents of the flask at her.

The demon screamed and stumbled backwards, her eyes black, and steam sizzling off her face. Dean quickly grabbed up the knife and exchanged glances with Sam before they both broke into a run from the orphanage grounds.


	27. Blame It On A Sad Song

Oshea opened the door as she heard the knock and arched a brow as she looked them over. She sighed and stepped away from the door, holding it open to let them walk in. "You boys have fun?" She asked sleepily with a small, wry grin on her face as she closed the door behind them.

"Oh yeah," Dean said, nodding. "We had a super time. Instead of the demons attacking us all at once, they gave us presents and cake, and we played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. It was a blast."

"Hate we missed it." Oshea said with a yawn, sitting back down on the bed and drawing her legs up into an Indian style. She had been sleeping in one of Dean's shirts. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, glancing at the clock. "You guys were out partying all night. We have to go to work. Ella…," She stood up and walked over to her, giving her a little shake before turning back to Dean. "Give us the knife." She said, holding out her hand. "We're going to need protection."

"Oh yeah," Dean said with a nod, pulling the knife out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You know, we should really come with you guys. That orphanage is pretty big, no way that you two can be everywhere at once to make sure something doesn't happen."

"You guys sure you don't want to recharge your batteries?" She asked with her brows furrowed. She took the knife and looked at it before handing it back over. "You keep it. The demons don't seem to be coming into the orphanage anyway, they're all too busy guarding the graves." She stood up and walked toward the dresser to get some clothes. She kept her hair in a ponytail as she shed Dean's shirt and pulled on a skirt and another button down shirt. "Ella, get up, it's go time. Come on." She said, giving Ella another shake.

Ella grumbled something before finally dragging herself out of bed. "I'm up, I'm up! Let me go take a shower real quick and then we'll go," she said, disappearing quickly from the room with some clothes, the bathroom door closing quickly followed by the sound of the shower starting.

"Hurry up, we don't want to be late! We have to make sure no one else d-" She stopped as she heard her cell phone ringing. Her brows furrowed and she walked to her bed, flipping her phone open. "Hello?…. Yes, Mrs. Halloway, my sister and I are-….what?" She closed her eyes and sank down to the edge of her bed, sighing. "Alright… no, don't worry… we'll be there soon. Yes, I understand. Everything's going to be okay, Mrs. Halloway, alright? We'll figure out a way to stop this, I promise." She closed her cell phone and rubbed her eyes.

Dean arched a brow. "What happened, who was that?"

"That was Mrs. Halloway, the head mistress. Someone else was killed, Dean," Oshea whispered, lowering her hand and looking up at him with a frown. "Lily Anderson. She was one of the guardians, she had a really close connection to this girl Amber. Amber would have nightmares and Lily would go in her room and sit with her until she fell asleep. Amber woke up and found Lily sprawled on her bed… Lily's dead, Dean…"

Dean cursed under his breath. "This is great, just great," he said as he started to pace the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

_xx_

A few minutes passed, and Ella hopped out of the shower, drying herself off and changing into a pair of dark jeans and a black button down shirt. She towel dried her long brown hair, leaving it damp and curly as she stepped out of the bathroom to find everyone sitting in silence, anxious looks on their faces. "Did I miss something?"

"Lily Anderson is dead, Ella." Oshea said, standing up and putting her phone in the front pocket of her dress jacket. She buttoned up the three buttons of the jacket and turned to Dean. "We have to get to the orphanage. You and Sam see if you guys can get to the graves."

Ella's eyes widened. Dean nodded as they all grabbed what they needed and piled into the Impala. When they got to the orphanage, they parted ways. Ella and Oshea went inside, and Dean and Sam cut around the back of the orphanage, weapons in hand as they walked towards the trees.

Oshea and Ella parted ways once they reached the orphanage. While Ella was going down the hallway, a young boy wearing a baggy t-shirt and jeans stood at the end of the hallway. The boy glared at her and tilted his head slightly as his form flickered. Ella raised the shotgun she was holding, immediately cocking the gun and firing at it. The spirit vanished upon impact, and Ella continued walking.

"We tried to tell you." Behind her came the voice of a young girl. Behind her stood a little girl wearing a plaid dress. "We tried to tell you and you did nothing. You let them kill us." The girl's form flickered. "Now you're going to die just like we did…"

"What are you talking about?" Ella said, backing away from the spirit slowly, holding the gun shakily in her hands.

"We told you that they were trying to kill us… you wouldn't listen. You let them kill us," The girl repeated, narrowing her eyes. "They poisoned us… it hurt… and now… now you're going to hurt, too. Your insides are going to hurt like ours did… and you'll die. Die… die… die…" She said in a low, singsong voice.

Ella hesitated for a moment, but then fired at her.

"Die…,"The little girl smiled faintly just before the bullet struck her and she vanished.

Downstairs, Oshea was digging through the files when she came across one of the old staff folders. She frowned and her brows furrowed as she flipped through the folders, finally coming across one that caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the name on the folder and she dropped it, leaving the file cabinet's drawer open and the file spilled on the floor as she dashed from the room and raced up the stairs. "Ella! ELLA!" She screamed, sliding one hand along the banister, her shotgun in the other. When she saw her down the hall, she ran toward her. "Ella, you have to leave. You have to get out of here now!"

"What are you talking about-" Her question was cut off by the singsongy voice of one of the spirit children, who appeared in front of Ella. A little boy appeared a second after, joining in on the song. Followed by another. "Die.. Die.. Die," They all sang. The shotgun fell from Ella's hands as she fell to the floor, coughing. Blood splattered onto the linoleum floor as Ella coughed and coughed, gasping for breath.

"ELLA!" Oshea screamed as she pulled her gun and shot at the spirit girl. The girl's form vanished, but the two boys continued to sing, holding each other's hands and swinging them back and forth as they sang. Oshea cocked the gun and aimed at the other boy, sending him into a pile of sparks and black fog. The last boy continued to sing until the next bullet struck him. Oshea stepped forward and dropped her weapon, kneeling on the floor and cupping a hand against the back of Ella's head, lifting her up a little. "Ella… Ella, no… you have to stay with me…"

Ella was still choking a little as Oshea held her. Then she stopped moving.


	28. The Devil Game

Dean walked limply over to a blonde haired demon, wiping blood off the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

"You call that fighting?" She smirked. "I'm just getting started." She kicked Dean's chest with her black boots, sending him flying backwards against a tree trunk. She glanced over at Sam, who was fighting off two male demons, and then in the corner of her eye, saw Dean start to move. She held up her hand, and Dean was slung back against the tree by the invisible force. "We need to talk, Dean," she said, kneeling down in front of him.

Dean gritted his teeth, as the demon smiled at him. "I gotta say, Dean. You put up a good fight, you and your brother. But you wasted your time, really. All this hard work you and the angels are putting towards stopping the seals from breaking, it's pointless, and you know it. You can feel it. You know the world is ending, slowly but surely. You know we're going to win, you know we're going to break each and every one of those sixty-six seals. And when we do, we'll have you to thank, Dean."

"What?" Dean asked, furrowing his brows.

The demon chuckled and smiled wryly. "We were worried there for a while, we weren't sure you had it in you to kick-start this whole thing. But you didn't let us down."

"What are you talking about?"

"How _was_ Hell, Dean?" She said with a smirk. "Forty years is a long time, isn't it? I saw you down there, before I climbed out. I saw you say no to Alastair, year after year. I saw him slice into you, and then heal you up, then start in all over again. For thirty years you said no. Now, you see, at that point I was getting a little anxious. But then, on that thirtieth year, you gave in. You said yes, and you stepped off that rack. Alastair handed you the knife, and you took it. You cut into that weeping woman, and you tortured her. For hours. All of us demons down there, we cheered and cheered. Seal numero uno," She said with a chuckle. "Broken."

Dean's eyes were wide as she told the story, and memories of Hell flashed in his mind. "You're lying…"

The demon shook her head, glaring. "_And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell,"_ she quoted. "Well, it's been fun," she said, standing up and walking away from him. "But I've got plans. I'm going to peel the skin off your brothers pretty little face. Then I'm going to rip your little girlfriend limb from limb, Ella too." Just as she finished the sentence, she stopped and looked around, exchanging glances with the other demons. "Scratch that last part," she said, turning back to Dean. "It looks like we're no longer needed here." She grinned, and then left, the other demons following closely behind.

Sam dropped to the ground, gasping as the demon that had been choking him suddenly vanished. He fell to his knees, coughing, and lifted a hand, rubbing at his throat. He stood up and walked over to Dean. "What just happened?" He asked, looking around the grove that had suddenly become empty of demons. He lowered his hand from his neck and shook his head. "This doesn't make sense…," He stopped, his eyes growing wide. "You don't think… you don't think they killed the last person… that the seal's broken…?"

Dean stared at the ground for a moment where the demon had been standing until Sam's voice snapped him out of his daze. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, probably. Well, let's get digging," he said, grabbing one of the shovels that was propped up against a tree.

Sam sighed and nodded, grabbing one of the shovels without a word and starting to dig. Soon they were finding not just dirt, but bones and skulls mixed with it. Sam arched a brow. "Jackpot." After a while of digging, they found the rest of the graves and soon there were fires burning in the deep holes. Sam ran a hand through his hair as he watched the fires. They heard a twig snap, and Sam whirled around, aiming his gun. He dropped it when he saw it was Oshea, and the words of greeting died on his lips and his mouth just hanging open as he saw Oshea was walking with Ella's limp body. She had thrown one of Ella's arms over her shoulders and was half dragging her toward the fires. She knelt down and gently laid her sibling's body down on her back on the grass. Sam dropped his weapon and ran over, kneeling down beside Ella's body and lifting her up, holding her to his chest. "Ella…? Ella, no… ELLA!" He said shaking her a little.

Oshea took a step backwards, trembling as tears ran down her face. She looked over at Dean briefly then lowered her eyes to the ground, shaking her head slowly. She brought a hand up to her lips and covered her mouth to stifle a little sob, her shoulders shaking.

Dean walked over to Oshea, pulling her into his arms and allowing her to cry onto his chest. He rested his chin on her head and looked ahead at Sam. Sam pulled Ella to his chest and leaned his head against hers. Oshea clung to Dean, sniffing as she held onto him. She swallowed hard and her brows furrowed as she saw Sam pick Ella up, walking over to them. "Come on, we have to get back to the hotel." He said through gritted teeth, looking determined as he walked passed them.

Dean sighed as he pulled away from Oshea, putting an arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the Impala after Sam.

xx

As they arrived at the hotel, Sam carried Ella inside and laid her down on her bed gently. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stroke her hair back, his jaw tight as he held back tears. Oshea leaned against the car, watching Dean as he started to follow his brother in. "I… I just need a minute." She said softly. After Dean had gone inside, she moved around the front of the car, pulling the keys she had snatched from Dean before he had gone inside and pushed them into the ignition. She turned the car on and backed it quickly out of the parking space and riding down the road as quickly as she could. She stopped when she found the crossroads she had seen on their drive to the hotel and she parked the car. Climbing out, she opened the trunk and pulled out her box that she had used to try to make a deal for Dean's soul and she walked over to the center of the crossroads, kneeling down and burying the small box. Swallowing hard, she stood up, brushing the dirt and gravel from the edges of her skirt as she waited.

Behind her, a man with short dark hair wearing a dark suit appeared, his hands stuck in his pockets. "Hello, darling," he said with a grin as she turned around to look at him. "I was told you'd be coming here." He spoke with a British accent and he walked towards her, slowly pulling his hands out of his pockets.


	29. Fair Exchange

In the hotel room, Sam was still sitting by Ella's side when a figure appeared in the hotel room. He looked up and his eyes narrowed as he stood up and walked over to him, roughly grabbing the lapels of his khaki trench coat and shoving him against one of the walls of the hotel room. "Bring her back." He pulled him away slightly then shoved him against the wall again. "You are the reason we were here in the first place. You and the rest of the angels could have handled this! You sent us here and got her killed! So bring her BACK!"

Castiel stared at Sam calmly as he was pushed against the wall and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't. She was a seal. I have no way of bringing her back. I'm not allowed to."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the opposite wall. "You're not allowed to? You're an angel, I was under the impression you little nerdy angel guys could do whatever you wanted."

"No," Castiel said, glancing up at Dean. "We cannot do whatever we want. We have rules just like humans. I cannot bring her back. I am sorry." Sam glared at him then released him with a jerk and walked back over to the bed where Ella's dead body laid. Castiel stepped away from the wall.

"So what now, you're just going to let her body rot here because you're too afraid to break a couple rules?" He shook his head. "You're pathetic."

Castiel turned to look at him and walked toward him. "You do not understand. I _can't _bring her back, Dean." He said in a low voice. "Disobedience for us is suicide…" He paused a moment then continued. "Dean, I dragged your soul out of Hell. I can throw it back in. I deserve some respect."

Dean clenched his jaw and looked away from Castiel, glancing over at Sam and Ella.

_xx_

Oshea looked up as the man walked toward her. She lifted a hand and brushed the tears from her eyes, not taking a step toward him. "If you knew I was coming, then you know why I'm here," She said quietly. "I need to make a deal." She sniffed and swallowed hard, rubbing her arm.

"Oh really? I just thought you were standing in the middle of the crossroads at four in the morning for fun. Of course you want to make a deal," he said sarcastically. "So, you want lil' sis back, eh?"

She lowered her eyes a little and sighed. "Yes." She whispered. "I want my sister back."

He nodded. "Well, I suppose that can be arranged. But it's the apocalypse, as you know, the end of days. Times are tough, so I'm afraid we've had to raise our prices a bit."

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I'll bring lil sis back. Good as new. But you don't get ten years. You don't even get one year, like Dean did. All you get, is enough time to go see Ella one last time, and then my little pet here," he said, patting the air next to him. "is going to drop by and say howdy."

Oshea's brows furrowed and she swallowed hard, glancing toward the air beside of him before she nodded. "Alright…," She whispered. "That's fine. Just… bring my sister back… please?"

He arched a brow. "You're sure?"

"If I don't do this, Sam will, and Dean can't live without Sam. He'll try to get him back and end up back in Hell himself, and I can't let that happen." Oshea said, shaking her head. "It's better if I do this first. So yes… yes, I'm very sure."

"Oh yes, the Winchesters. I've yet to have the privilege of meeting them," He said with a wry smile, then he nodded stepping over to her until he was standing directly in front of her. "Ready to seal the deal, doll?" He smirked.

Oshea took a deep breath then nodded, tilting her head up and resting a hand on his shoulder as she leaned up to kiss him. The demon placed a hand on the back of her neck and deepened the kiss. After a few moments, he pulled away. "It's done. Your sis is safe and sound, back at the motel. You'll go there and see her, have a happy little reunion montage, and then meet me back here. Unless you'd rather have my pet here rip you to shreds in front of lil sis. Either way is fine with me."

Oshea looked up at him as he spoke and shook her head slowly. "No… no, I'll… I'll meet you back here." She said shakily. "Thank you." She said over her shoulder before she walked back to the Impala and climbed in, driving back to the hotel.

_xx_

Ella shot up straight in bed, gasping loudly for air. Sam jerked up off the bed, staggering back a few steps as he looked down at Ella his eyes wide. "Ella?" He rushed back to her and placed his hands against her cheeks. "Ella… Ella, are you okay?" He said, looking her over.

Dean almost reached for his gun as the loud gasping broke the silence in the motel room, but he relaxed for a moment, before his eyes widened at Ella. Ella finally caught her breath, and narrowed her eyes at Sam. "Yeah, just peachy."

Sam chuckled a little and shook his head before leaning forward and kissing her forehead, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive." He said softly. He pulled back some and looked over to Castiel. "I thought you said you couldn't bring her back."

"I didn't." Castiel said as the door to the hotel room opened. Oshea stood in the doorway a moment, tears running down her face as she looked in at Ella. She forced a small smile and lifted a hand, brushing away the tears from her face with the edge of her sleeve.

"Ella…"

"My god, Oshea, tell me you didn't…" Ella's voice trailed off as she swallowed, her eyes starting to fill with tears threatening to fall.

Oshea bit her lower lip and swallowed hard, forcing her smile to remain on her face. "I'm glad that you're okay, Ella." She stepped further into the hotel room.

Dean stepped forward, walking towards her. "What did you do, Oshea?" He said, gritting his teeth, already knowing the answer.

Oshea let the smile slip away, and she sighed, lowering her eyes. "You know what I did, Dean… and you know why I did it." She glanced up at him, tears gathering in her eyes, then looked down again. "We both know that if I didn't do this, then Sam would have… and if he had done it, then you would have made another deal to get him out. I'm not going to let you go back to Hell, Dean…"

"So you just go sacrifice yourself the first chance you get. Without even telling us. And now you're going to Hell." His voice cracked a little as he spoke.

"How long," Ella asked quietly.

Oshea trembled a little as she curved her arms around her chest. "I… I have to go back and meet him as soon as I'm done talking to you…"

Ella's jaw was clenched as she turned away, a tear falling down her cheek. "I can't believe you did this to me, Oshea. I can't believe you did this to us."

"It was either me or all three of you playing musical chairs in Hell." Oshea said quickly. "This way, only one of us has to die." She took in a deep breath. "I need to go before he thinks I'm trying to get out of paying." Oshea lifted a hand and brushed away a tear from her cheek, turning toward the door.

Ella stood with her back against Oshea. Dean sighed heavily and bit his bottom lip. The room was silent. Oshea paused at the door and turned, walking quickly back into the room and over to Ella. She threw her arms around her from behind in a hug then released her and stepped over to Dean, leaning up and kissing him on the lips. She looked up at him, touching his cheek lightly before she turned and walked to the door.

A tear slid down Dean's cheek as Oshea left. Ella didn't turn around until she heard the door of the motel close behind her. And then she broke down crying. Sam sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, moving to Ella and sitting down on the side of the bed, curling his arm around her and stroking her hair back gently.

Oshea climbed out of the car and smiled a little, thanking the people that had driven her. She hadn't wanted to take the Impala and have the others have to come get it where her mutilated body would be lying. She watched as they pulled away and a few tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm back," She said, her voice cracking.

The dark haired demon reappeared, smiling. "So, how was the touchy-feely goodbye?"

Oshea was crying gently as she shook her head. "Not very touchy-feely." She whispered. "My sister wouldn't even look at me." She sighed. "Just… please let's just get this over with…"

The demon clicked his tongue. "Well, that's a shame." He looked over his shoulder. "Here boy!" He shouted, and the sound of the invisible creature's paws hitting the gravel as it ran towards them. The sound abruptly stopped and the demon patted the air in front of him, glancing up at Oshea and nodding his head. "Tell everyone I said hi, down there." And with that, the creature snarled, and lunged at Oshea.

Oshea looked up and stared at the air in front of him where she could hear the snarling. When it lunged for her, she fell back beneath it to the gravel. She screamed as it's claws tore into her, ripping her chest and neck. She twisted on the ground, writhing and crying out until blood filled her throat. She coughed up the red fluid and it ran down her cheeks and jaw to the gravel below her. Finally, her body fell still, her eyes open and staring up at the sky as her blood leaked out onto the middle of the crossroads.


	30. Higher Power

The Impala pulled up to the side of the road a little ways away from the middle of the crossroads. Dean put the car in park and then pulled the keys out of the ignition, stepping out of the car, Ella and Sam following closely behind. Dean slowed as he saw the outline of Oshea's mangled body in the distance. Sam frowned deeply and slowed down as well, touching Ella's arm. "Maybe… you should stay here." He said quietly. "This isn't going to be pretty."

Ella nodded and turned away, quietly returning to the Impala and standing against the side of it.

Dean stood over Oshea's body. He swallowed and turned his head to glance over his shoulder. "Sam.."

Sam watched Ella a moment then stepped away from her and walked over to Dean. When he saw the body, he swallowed hard, rubbing his face a little and furrowing his brows. He had seen this all before, only last time it had been his brother. He took in a deep breath and looked away from the body to Dean. "You need me to…" He said quietly, letting his voice trail off.

Dean nodded slowly, turning away and walking back to the car. Sam took a deep breath and knelt down, scooping up her limp and torn body from the road. He carried her a little ways from the crossroads, into the woods and laid her down carefully before going back to the car, blood staining the front of his shirt. He paused and moved over to Dean, saying in a low voice. "We should burn her body…," He said quietly. "If you let me get the things out of the trunk I can do everything and you guys can go back to the hotel. I'll walk back…"

Dean nodded, still not saying anything as he got back into the car, and Ella walked around the car and sat down in the passengers seat, staring blankly in front of her. They let Sam get what he needed from the trunk and then they drove away.

_xx_

A few hours later, the hotel door opened and Sam stepped into the hotel room. His jacket had been tied around his waist and his shirt was stained with dirt and blood. The room was terribly quiet so that his footsteps sounded like thunder and echoed against the walls. Wearily, he rolled his shoulders and walked to his suitcase, grabbing some fresh clothes before going to the bathroom. In a few moments, he stepped out again, wearing a clean button down shirt and jeans. He stuffed the filthy clothes into his suitcase then sat down on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his hair. Castiel had vanished without a word after Oshea had left and had not returned.

Ella was curled up in her bed, halfway hidden beneath the covers, shaking slightly. Dean was sitting at the small table set up in the far corner of the room. He was leaning back in the chair, the same stoic expression from the crossroads still on his face as he stared at the wall in front of him. Sam looked between his brother and Ella then sat down beside of Ella on the bed, stroking her back gently.

xx

_ONE WEEK LATER_

_xx_

Sam leaned his elbow against the edge of the Impala's window, resting his temple against his knuckles. He glanced in the rearview mirror back at Ella and sighed, rubbing his eyes before glancing to Dean. He was opening his mouth to ask where they were heading now, when he saw something in the rearview mirror. He looked up sharply and narrowed his eyes as he saw the familiar khaki trench coat. "Dean, stop the car." He said through gritted teeth.

"We need to talk," Castiel said quietly.

Ella turned her head quickly and saw Castiel sitting in the seat next to her.

Dean slammed on the breaks and pulled off to the side of the road, stopping abruptly. "Get out of my car."

Castiel's brows furrowed. "Dean, we need to talk. There is another seal in danger."

Dean turned his head and stared at Castiel incredulously. "You're kidding me, right? You refuse to help us, you disappear and we don't hear from you from a whole week, and now you need our help? Sorry, buddy, we're done being your little puppets."

"You do not have a choice. As I told you before, Dean, I dragged your soul from Hell for a reason. This reason. Because only the one who started this can finish it. If you do not help us then I will throw your soul back into Hell." Castiel said, his eyes narrowed faintly.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Dean, what does he mean 'the one who started this?'"

Dean ignored Sam's question and turned back to look at Castiel again. "Go ahead, do it then," he said, throwing his arms up. In the backseat, Ella continued to glare at the man in the trench coat.

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "I do not understand your hostility, Dean."

"You sent us on a suicide mission, Castiel!" Sam snapped, turning around in the seat to face the angel. "We were outnumbered and Ella died because of it!"

"That was not my fault." Castiel said, keeping his eyes on Dean.

"Oh really? Because we think differently," Dean said with a wry smile. "See, we found out a little something interesting about the orphanage you sent us to. There was apparently a staff member involved in the original murders… her name was Ella. So you sent us there, and all those spirits were like hit men, all gunning for our Ella. She died because she was trying to save your stupid seal. She died because you _failed _to mention to us she shared the name of someone involved in those kid's murders. So excuse us for being a little… massively pissed, at you. We're not helping you anymore."

Castiel's brows furrowed and he inclined his head. "I knew nothing about this," He whispered, the anger gone from his voice. Sam laughed bitterly.

"You expect us to believe that?"

"I do not lie," Castiel said, glancing to Sam then back to Dean. "My superiors did not inform me about this. I will go and speak with them." He said before he vanished again.

Dean sighed heavily and punched his fists against the top of the steering wheel. "You guys don't start walking you're going to get flabby," he muttered.

_xx_

Castiel appeared in an old, dark warehouse, walking between the tall beams that held up the arching roof. Moonlight was spilling through the holes in the upper part of the walls where fans were slowly spinning. "Uriel!" Castiel said, stopping in the middle of the building as the shadows shifted with the blades of the fan. He spun in a slow circle, looking around the warehouse as he said the name again, loudly. "Uriel!"

A bald dark skinned man in a suit appeared behind Castiel, expressionless. "Hello, Castiel."

Castiel turned to face him and took a step forward. "Is it true? What they said… did you know about this?" He whispered, his brows furrowing.

Uriel paced around him, his hands stuck in the pockets of his dark blue dress pants. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Yes, I knew."

Castiel's brows furrowed as he walked closer to him. "You knew and you told me to send them there anyway. You had to have known that the spirits would react, that Ella would be killed. Why would you do that?"

A faint smile appeared on Uriel's lips. "Orders. From the others. See, I don't doubt the intentions of our superiors, unlike you," he said, continuing to circle around him as he spoke. "You're weak, that's why I had to lie to you, Castiel. You're too close to the humans in your charge. You would have told them, and things wouldn't have worked out as planned."

Castiel's brows furrowed and he stared at the floor as Uriel circled about him. He lifted his eyes as he was called weak and his jaw tightened faintly. "Letting the girl die was part of the plan, Uriel? Something is wrong. How can that have been our orders? I was sent to protect them not to send them like lambs to the slaughter."

"Because those are our orders, and no matter how wrong things seem to be getting up there, we must follow the orders of our superiors. You should know that better than anyone, Castiel. For millenniums, you've followed our orders without a trace of emotion or doubt. You were the most faithful of any of us, Castiel, but now you've started to express emotions, doorways to doubt."

Castiel lowered his eyes, staring at the floor. "Uriel… I am faithful and I am obedient." He paused. "But there is something not right here. You have to see that. If we were supposed to let them die, then why was I sent to protect them at all? Perhaps… perhaps one of the others is lying about our orders." He said quickly looked up at Uriel, his brows furrowing.

Uriel nodded. "Perhaps.. Perhaps they are. But it doesn't matter. Even if something is wrong up there, even if the angels are lying. Even if we are losing… rebelling is not an option, Castiel. Not for us." His voice was deep as he spoke, and when he finished talking, he swung his fist effortlessly at Castiel, sending him flying backwards against a wall, smashing the bricks to pieces.

Castiel grunted as he pushed himself up amongst the rubble, standing to his feet. He walked over the debris and crossed back to Uriel. He brushed the blood away from his lower lip then curled his hand into a fist, punching Uriel in the face. As Uriel staggered back, he punched him again.

Uriel caught Castiel's fist as it came near his face, the sounds of crunching bones was heard as Uriel's hand squeezed around Castiel's. He lifted the other hand in the air above Castiel and brought it down swiftly, hitting Castiel repeatedly. Castiel flinched as his hand was shattered and he jerked as he was stricken. Finally, he dropped to his knees, his arms hanging by his sides. He swayed slightly, tilting his head up to look at Uriel. Blood was running from his nose and lips and from a cut above his eye, leaking down his eyelid and into his lashes.

Uriel grabbed the collar of Castiel's shirt tightly in his fist, pulling his limp form closer. "You _will _obey our orders, Castiel. I don't care what they are, you will obey them." He swung his fist at Castiel one last time before backing away. Castiel heard the faint flapping of wings as Uriel left. Castiel fell backwards onto the cool floor of the warehouse. He laid there a moment, coughing as a little blood slid down from his lips onto the floor. He pushed himself up slowly and vanished.


	31. To Be Alive Again

Castiel reappeared in the hotel that the Winchesters and Ella had stopped at for the night. He stood in the doorway a moment, swaying slightly. Blood was pouring down his face and pooling at his lower lip before running down his chin. Sam stepped from the bathroom and his eyes widened. "Dean!" He said, stepping forward as Castiel started to fall. Dean hurried over, catching Castiel and walking him over to one of the beds, sitting him up on the edge of it. He fell backwards onto the mattress.

"What happened to you?" Dean asked. "You were only gone for like ten minutes."

Castiel brought a hand up to his head and sighed. "I went to see one of my superiors, Uriel." He said, lowering his hand and slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. "He knew about Ella. He told me that it was orders. This is what happens when we disobey." He said, gesturing vaguely toward himself.

"And he beat you up just because you confronted him about it?" Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "Sorry to say, but you got some crappy big brothers."

"I don't know, Dean, you've thrown a couple punches at me before," Sam said, arching a brow slightly. Castiel looked between the both of them, leaning his elbows against his knees and cradling his head in the palm of his hand.

"I am sorry, Dean." He said after a moment. "If I had known…"

The door to the bathroom opened, and Ella stepped out, her eyes growing wide as she saw Castiel on the bed. "What happened to him?" She asked, looking over at Sam.

"One of his angel buddies beat him up," Sam said with a frown.

Castiel lowered his eyes and dropped his hand. "I have to go… there is something going on with the angels and I have to find out what it is." He said slowly, grimacing as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Wait, so you're just going to leave, _again? _I can't believe this…" she muttered. " Okay, look, you already look like you're in trouble with your little winged friends, anyway, what's it going to hurt if you…" She looked down at the floor. "…bring Oshea back?"

Castiel looked toward her and sighed, "I can't bring her back." He said softly. "I am sorry, but I just can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" Ella asked, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Castiel.

"I don't understand, Castiel, you brought Dean back." Sam said, shaking his head.

"You do not understand." Castiel said, his brows furrowing. "When I dragged Dean out of Hell, my brothers and sisters were helping me. There was a full scale battle to get to him. I cannot get her out by myself and no one is going to help me."

"You can't do it by yourself? What kind of angel are you?" Ella asked bitterly.

Castiel stared at her for a long moment then looked away and vanished. Sam sighed as he left and lifted his arms before dropping them to his sides. "Now what, Dean?"

Dean stood there for a moment before lifting his shoulders in a quiet shrug. "Nothing, I guess. If he can't help us, or won't… If he ever wants our help, he can forget it."

_xx_

That night there was a loud, frantic pounding on the door. The numbers on the clock read 3:42 AM. "Dean!" The familiar voice was scratchy and broken. "Dean!"

Dean jerked awake, sitting up straight in his bed. His eyes widened as he listened to the familiar voice call out his name a couple times. He forced himself to his feet and ran to the door, swinging it open. The person at the door swayed and the neon light of the motel sign flickered, illuminating the figure. She was trembling and wearing a torn button down shirt and skirt with dried blood on it. "Dean…" Tears were running down her face.

"Oshea." He whispered. His stare moved to a familiar handprint wrapped around her arm. "Cas brought you back…"

She looked at the handprint and brushed her fingertips against it. "I… I guess so. I just woke up in the woods. I've been looking everywhere for you all." She lifted a hand and coughed a little touched her throat. "Do you have any water… I'm so thirsty."

Dean nodded and turned , walking over to the mini-fridge, grabbing a cold bottle of water out of it and handing it to Oshea. "Here."

She stepped inside the hotel, closing the door behind herself and took the bottle from him. She unscrewed the cap and lifted it to her lips, gulping it down and tilting the bottle until the water was completely gone. She lowered the empty bottle, panting slightly and nodded. "Thank you…" She sighed. "How long was I… gone…?"

"A little over a week," Dean replied, taking the bottle from her and tossing it in the trashcan. "Are you okay, how are you feeling?"

"It felt like longer," She said softly, bringing a hand to her head. "I feel hungry… and sore… and tired… like I could sleep for days." She said with a little chuckle. She looked around the room slowly then back to Dean. "This… this isn't a dream, is it?" She asked weakly. "I'm not going to… going to wake up and be back there…am I?"

Dean smiled a little. "Nah, you're not dreaming. From what I remember in my forty years in Hell, I didn't dream once," he shook his head. "You should get some rest. I'll explain everything to Ella and Sam… you just, you get some sleep, okay?"

Oshea nodded and stepped over to one of the beds, easing herself down and sitting on the edge of it. "Will you… uh…" She said quietly. "Will you sit over here with me…? Please?" She said, keeping her eyes down.

Dean walked over and sat down next to Oshea, wrapping one of his hands around Oshea's hand. "This week was pretty crappy without you," he said, looking over at her.

Oshea squeezed his hand and laid her other hand over both of theirs. She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "It was... A few months for me." She said quietly. "I missed you…"

Dean nodded. "I miss you, too."

She clung to his hand as she relaxed and soon fell asleep against his shoulder. A few moments later, Sam turned over in the bed and looked up at Dean's bed sleepily. His eyes widened and he jerked up in bed. "Holy…." He stared. "Dean… is that…?"

"Yeah, Sammy… it's her. I guess that last thing Ella said really got through to Cas," Dean said with a nod. Sam shook his head.

"I don't believe this…," He whispered. He looked down at Ella, who was sleeping beside of him and he gave her a little shake. "Ella, Ella wake up." He said quickly.

Ella shook her head, grumbling, her eyes squeezed shut as she pulled the covers up over her head. "Ella!" Sam said. He gave her a little shove, knocking her from the bed. "Ella, get up!"

Ella rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a loud thump. "Sam, what the hell?" She shouted, crawling to her feet. Her eyes moved from Sam to Dean, and then finally to Oshea. "Oh my god…"

Oshea shifted, slowly opening her eyes as Ella's shout woke her from her sleep. She lifted her head from Dean's shoulder and blinked sleepily, looking over at Ella. She gave a little smile. "Hey, sis…," She said drowsily.

"Hey sis? You come back from the dead and all you have to say is 'hey sis'?" Ella said, arching a brow. She shook her head and chuckled, and ran over to her sister, wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back."

Oshea smiled and wrapped her arms around her, clinging to her tightly. "I'm glad to be back. So glad." She sighed and pulled away a little. "By the way, where is Castiel? I want to thank him for bringing me back…"

Dean shook his head. "We're not sure. We haven't seen him since Ella royally ticked him off a few hours ago."

"Ella, what did you say to him?" Oshea said, her brows furrowing as she looked over to her.

Ella avoided everyone's eyes as they looked at her, staring down at the ground. "I uh… kind of implied that he wasn't… a very good angel…" She scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I guess I sort of owe him an apology."

_xx_

"I really wish we could have found Castiel," Oshea said as she packed up her things, zipping up her duffel bag. She ran her fingers through her hair, which she was wearing down around her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a snug tank. "I'm kind of worried…"

Sam shook his head, "I don't know, I mean, he's disappeared before."

"But from what you said, he was hurt and having problems with his angel friends…," Oshea said, her brows furrowing. "You don't think they did something to him do you?"

"I hope not…" Ella said, slinging her own duffle bag over her shoulder. "I feel bad about what I said to him."

Dean walked in through the motel door, car keys jingling in his hands. "We ready to leave?"

Oshea sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." she said, pulling the strap of the duffel bag over her shoulder. Sam walked up behind Ella and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. He always disappears for a while then reappears. I'm sure he's fine." He said as he stepped out with them to the Impala.


	32. Thief In The Night

Dean cranked up the radio as ACDC's Hell's Bells blared through the speakers of the Impala. Their surroundings became a blur as they sped down an empty street. They slowed down at an intersection, and Ella glanced out of the back window, seeing a trench coat clad figure laying face down on the side of the road. "Dean, it's Castiel!"

Dean hit the breaks and swerved over to the side of the road a couple of yards in from of Cas' limp body. Oshea's eyes widened as she looked out of the window and saw him laying there. "Oh my gosh…" She climbed from the car quickly and rushed back down the side of the road to Castiel's limp form. She knelt down and turned him over, her eyes growing wide as she saw the blood covering the front of the angel's suit and trench coat. "Castiel…? Cas?" She said shaking him slightly. "Dean!"

Everyone climbed out of the Impala and went towards Castiel. "Sammy, help me get him into the car. He needs a hospital." Dean said, kneeling down beside Cas.

Sam's eyes widened as he looked down at Castiel and he nodded, kneeling down. He curved an arm around Castiel and hooked one of the angel's arms around his shoulders, carefully lifting him to his feet with Dean on the other side. "Do you think the angels did this to him, Dean?" He asked as they both moved to the car with him.

Dean shook his head, shrugging a little as they laid Castiel down in the backseat of the Impala. "Well if he literally dove into Hell himself without his angel buddies backing him up, I'd imagine it probably did a number on him, along with the butt-kicking Uriel gave him."

Oshea shook her head, biting her lower lip as she climbed into the back with Castiel and leaned him against her carefully. "We need to hurry, Dean..." She said, looking concerned. Sam frowned as they started to drive again after everyone had gotten back into the car.

"Dean, do you think doctors will be able to help him? He is an angel after all..."

Dean shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road. "I'm not sure. He doesn't look too angel-y to me, passed out in the backseat looking like he got into a fight with a brick wall... repeatedly... and lost."

_xx_

When they pulled in front of the emergency entrance at the hospital, Sam and Oshea climbed out of the car, getting Castiel out and taking him inside while Dean went to park the Impala. Castiel was immediately taken from them by the hospital staff and wheeled back on a gurney. It seemed like hours before one of the doctors took them to the room where he was. He was pale and small bandages covered the cut at his eyebrow. The edges of larger bandages could be seen peeking over the drooping collar of the hospital gown he was wearing.

After the doctor left the room, Dean walked over to the side of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest. "What happened to you, Cas?"

Castiel blinked groggily, looking up at Dean slowly while Oshea and the others slipped into the room, letting the door close behind them. "I went to Hell and back...," He said lowly. "The demons fought me when I tried to get Oshea."

"I'm sorry about what I said before," Ella said a little quietly, looking down at the floor.

Castiel turned and looked at her and shook his head. "You do not need to apologize." he said quietly. Turning back to Dean, he sighed. "Now that I have done this for you, I hope that you'll at least consider helping us with the seals. There is another in danger... "

Dean was quiet for a few minutes before he finally nodded. "Yeah, it's the least we can do."

xx

Oshea yawned, rubbing her eyes as she stepped into the motel. She dropped her duffel bag at the end of one of the beds before flopping onto the mattress and getting beneath the covers. They had just driven for several hours nonstop to get to the place where Castiel had told them the seal was. They had left Castiel at the hospital, and he was supposed to meet them after he was released. Sam stretched his arms over his head as he sat down at the foot of the bed and tugged his shirt off over his head before leaning back onto the mattress. Ella followed in after Dean, just letting her duffle bag drop by the door on her way in. As everyone prepared themselves for bed, Ella pulled on a jacket and started for the door. "I'll be right back," she said, and then went outside, a couple of quarters in hand. When she got to the soda machine, she slipped the quarters in. As soon as she pressed the button for Dr. Pepper, the hallway around her shifted. The walls rippled and the floor became like liquid. She began to sink down into the floor until she was completelysubmerged.


	33. Candyman

As soon as she pressed the button for Dr. Pepper, the hallway around her shifted. The walls rippled and the floor became like liquid. She began to sink down into the floor until she was completely submerged. When she opened her eyes again, she was resting in a small room with an antique four poster bed with a translucent curtain around it. Light was spilling through the curtain onto the bed and beside of her in the bed laid a handsome young man. He was shirtless and one arm was curled beneath his head, his other hand was resting on his bare stomach. His light brown hair was slightly messy and he was half covered by the bed sheets.

Ella stared for a full ten seconds, half in awe of the man's attractiveness, the other half in confusion and terror. She jumped from the bed and reached for the knife she usually kept in her back pocket, but found it empty. "Who the hell are you? Where am I?"

The young man yawned slightly and stretched his arms over his head, pulling his lean muscles taunt before he relaxed and opened his eyes. He looked up at her and grinned, pushing himself to his elbows. "Well, good morning, darling." At the questions, he arched one brow lightly then held up his hand that boasted a golden band. "Why... Your husband, dear."

"Haha, yeah, very funny. This is obviously a very strange, really vivid dream, from which I'm going to wake up... now." She squeezed her eyes shut and then reopened them. Her eyes fell down to her own hand which was adorned by a very large sparkling diamond ring. "Oh you have got to be kidding me... This has got to be the worst hangover ever..."

"No, my lovely little gumdrop, this is not a dream." The young man said as he climbed from the bed. He reached over into a glass bowl on the nightstand by the bed and plucked out a peppermint, popping it into his mouth before he walked around the edge of the bed toward her. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. He grinned and tapped the tip of her nose with the pad of his index finger. "And you're not drunk, silly. Don't you remember our glorious wedding?"

Ella glared at the man. "Does this LOOK like the face of someone who has any memory of ANYTHING whatsoever involving you, least of all a WEDDING?" She spoke the sentence quickly, all in one breath.

He laughed softly and shook his head. "Oh my dear little Ella. Here!" He snapped his fingers and walked over to a bookshelf, grabbing a scrapbook off of the shelf. "I have the pictures." He walked over to her and opened the book. "See, here we are saying out vows... and oh," He chuckled. "Here are photos from our wedding night..." He said with a smirk.

Ella's eyes widened at the photographs and quickly snatched the book from him, slamming it shut and tossing it on the end of the bed. She crossed her arms over her chest, backing away a bit slowly. Her eyes examined the room, looking for any possible weapon or an exit. She spotted a door, glancing over her shoulder as she started to back away slowly. "Well, it's been fun meeting you and all... but I've really gotta-" Before she finished the sentence she broke into a run, slinging the door open and running through the hallway. It was a long hallway, dimly lit and doors everywhere. She hesitated for a split second before opening one of them and running down a staircase, that stopped abruptly about twenty steps down. There was no door, or even a hallway, just a wall. "What the..." she mumbled arching her brow as she walked back up the staircase.

The young man did not stop smiling as she backed away and did not make any attempt to stop her as she made a break for the door. Whistling a little to himself, he walked to the dresser and pulled open one of the drawers. The drawer was packed to the point of almost overflowing with candy bars and lollipops and other candies. He plucked out a cherry lollipop and unwrapped it, popping it into his mouth before he closed the drawer and walked after her to the top of the stairs. "Isn't this place fun? This," He spread out his arms. "Is the Winchester Mystery House."

Ella glared at him for a moment before glancing around the hall. "I've heard of this place... but shouldn't it be packed with tourists right about now?"

"Well, yes, but you see, I thought of that. So I made this myself for my house. It's just like the Mystery House except no tourists, and it's more fun because this house changes. So you never know where you're going to end up." He said, pulling his lollipop from his mouth. "Are you hungry? We have some wedding cake left in the kitchen."

Ella eyed him carefully as she followed after him slowly. "Where's my sister? And Sam and Dean? Kidnap me and stick me in a copycat Winchester Mystery House, claiming to be my husband all you want, but if you hurt them, I swear to God I will kill you."

As he led her down the hallway, she noticed large paintings hanging from the walls. The paintings were replicas of old fashioned portraits of naked women, but as she looked at them more closely, she saw that they all were of her. "Oh, gumdrop, don't worry so much it causes wrinkles you know." He said around the lollipop. He started down a spiraled staircase. "Why would I hurt them? Having them wondering where you are and if you're alright... it is much more fun."

Ella followed him, trying to keep her eyes from looking up at the portraits on the wall. "This is fun for you? You're sick, you know that?"

"Sick? No, I'm not sick. I'm perfectly well, and so are you! You're just fine. I'm having a little fun." He said with a grin. "Besides, these angels think they are so high and mighty, that they can just do whatever they want. And that one, Castiel, he seems to have an interest in you. Plus, I have a beef with those Winchester boys anyway. And, the icing on the cake, you're a babe!" He counted off on his fingers. "Get to stick it to the angels, the Winchesters, and hang out with a hot girl. So three birds with one stone, it's great!"

Ella stared at him. Her eyes wandered down to the lollipop in his hand, and a few candy wrappers that were laying on the floor, and then back up at him. "Giving them their just desserts, huh?"

The young man smiled broadly, taking the lollipop from his mouth and pointing it toward her before putting it back into his mouth. "Precisely. Now... cake?" He asked as they stepped down off the stairs into the huge kitchen.

"You're a trickster. You're the one who put Sam in that time loop last year, and made Dean die over and over... I should have known it was you, you looked so familiar," Ella said, cursing under her breath. "How long do you plan on keeping this up? Huh?"

The Trickster had moved toward a seven layer white cake and had begun to cut a large piece of it with a large knife. He turned and glanced toward her with a smile. "Ah, my reputation precedes me." He served himself a piece of cake and turned toward her. "Want a piece, gumdrop? It's delicious really." He lifted his hand and licked the icing off of the tips of his fingers. "How long? As long as I can." He said with a grin.

"Stop calling me that," she said, glaring. "You've made your point, you've had your... fun. Now let me go."

"No, I don't think so. We have to wait for the others to get here." He said with a broad grin. "I don't suppose you want any food then." He licked the icing off of the knife and tossed it away, letting it fall

into the sink before he sat down on the edge of the table and started to eat his piece of cake. "You see, they're going to come running here after you and then... it'll be like rats in a maze. They won't know which way is up." He giggled. "It's going to be marvelous, you'll see."

"How do you know they're even going to show up here? They have no idea where I am," Ella said, inching over to the sink.

"Oh of course they do! I told them," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "What would be the fun of having this big maze for them to run themselves crazy in if they didn't know where it was? I mean, they would find you eventually anyway, they always do. Meddlers, that's what they are. But see, it would take to long for them to find us by themselves."

Ella moved to where her back was against the counter, and she slid over to the sink, moving her hand behind her and pulling the knife out of the sink and hiding it behind her back as she slowly approached him from behind. "Fun time's over," she said before bringing the knife down into his back.

The Trickster was eating his cake and still talking to her, rambling on about various things when she drove the knife into his back. He jerked and dropped the plate that he had been eating from and it crashed to the floor, shattering. He coughed up a little blood, his brows furrowing as he fell forward then collapsed onto the floor of the kitchen, blood spreading out beneath him as it soaked the bare skin of his back. From behind her came the sound of someone clucking their tongue. "Now, Ella, that wasn't very nice at all!" The Trickster stepped forward, looking at the fallen body as it began to dissolve and pale blue smoke issued from it until it had vanished along with the blood. He shook his head as he curved his arms around her waist from behind and leaned over her shoulder to look at her. "Little knives like that won't kill me. You're a hunter, you should know this."

Ella swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut as his arms wrapped around her. She hoped Sam, Dean, and Oshea found her soon; she had nothing to kill the Trickster with, and no way to get out of there on her own.


	34. Devil's Sweet

Sam cursed as he stepped back into the hotel room, slamming the door behind himself. "I don't believe this." Oshea was sitting on the edge of the bed, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Where could she have gone?" She said quietly.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair. "I should have gone with her. I shouldn't have let her out of my sight."

"It's not your fault," Oshea said with a shake of her head. "You couldn't have known that this would happen."

Sam shook his head and sat down heavily on his and Ella's bed, He looked up at the pillow and frowned as he saw the candy wrapper laying there. He had thought at first that it was from the chocolates on the pillows that Dean always ate, but the chocolate from the hotel sat untouched on the other pillow. He leaned forward and grabbed it, cursing again. "Dean! There's an address on this wrapper!"

Dean walked back into the room from the bathroom doorway, where he had been standing on the phone with Bobby. He quickly hung up and walked over to Sam, jerking the wrapper out of his hand and staring at it for a moment. "Crap. The Trickster."

Oshea frowned her brows furrowing as she looked between them. "The Trickster? You mean a trickster took her?"

"Not just any trickster, a trickster that has it out for us." Sam said lowly. "You know this is a trap, Dean."

Dean nodded, looking up from the wrapper. "Yeah, I know. But you know we have to go..." He said, jerking up his duffle bag he had just unpacked a little earlier and throwing all of his stuff back in it. "Come on, we've got a ten hour drive ahead of us."

Sam cursed loudly and began to shove his things back into his own bag. "When I get my hands on him, I'm going to rip him apart." He growled under his breath. Oshea frowned worriedly as she stood up and started to quickly pack her back and grab Ella's.

"Dean, do you think she's okay? Would this Trickster hurt her?"

Dean shook his head as he stopped at the door. "I doubt it. But we can't take any chances."

_xx_

The ride was a quiet one. It was dawn when they arrived at the next hotel, and they dropped their things off inside the building before continuing onward to the address that had been messily scrawled on the underside of the wrapper. They were all exhausted, but none of them wanted to waste time sleeping while Ella was in danger. The house that they found was a decrepit two story plantation house sitting in an

open field miles away from any other home or any form of civilization. Plants were growing up the side of the building, the windows were all either broken or dusty and cracked, one of the support beams that stretched from the porch's awning to the front steps was broken. Paint was peeling off of the walls and the front door was hanging askew in the door frame. Oshea rubbed her eyes and sighed as she stood leaned against the side of the Impala while Dean and Sam dug through the trunk to get the weapons they would need. "Are we sure this is the right place? It looks like it is going to fall apart any second..."

Dean pulled out three wooden stakes, handing one to Oshea and the other to Sam. He let the trunk slam closed as they approached the house, hesitating for a moment. "I guess we'll see when we get inside..." Dean said, and then looked over at Sam. "Ladies first," he said with a smirk.

Oshea took the stake and gripped it tightly in her left hand as she followed after Dean and Sam. When they reached the house, Sam's brows furrowed and he glared at Dean a moment before he shook his head and grumbling to himself stepped toward the house and opened the door. As soon as they stepped inside, the house groaned and creaked. Inside the house was massive and though it was not modern, it was in much better shape than the outside had looked.

"This is... weird," Dean said, arching a brow. In front of them was a very long hallway, and the same was found on their left and right. There were doors on each wall surrounding them. "I would say we should split up, but we all know how that always ends."

"Splitting up is always a bad idea," Oshea said with a nod. "Or so I've learned from watching horror movies for most of my life." Sam sighed as he looked around at all of the doors and hallways. He started to speak then closed his mouth, his brows furrowing.

"Is it just me... or does this place look... familiar."

"It's not just you, Sammy... I think... I think this is the Winchester Mystery House... I read about it in dad's journal... look," he said, pointing up at the chandelier hanging above them. "Thirteen is everywhere... thirteen candles," he gestured over to the stain glass window behind them. "Thirteen stones..." He pulled out the candy wrapper from his pocket. "And the address, instead of it being 525 South Winchester Blvd, it's 525 Dark Corner Rd."

"So this is a fake mystery house, wonderful." Oshea said with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"We'll have to be really careful then. Some of the doors open onto nothing, you could easily walk out of a two or three story door and fall out of the house." Sam said.

"How are we supposed to find Ella in all of this? She could be anywhere, and if we get close, the Trickster could just move her." Oshea said in exasperation.

"Or a fourth story door," Dean added, and then shook his head at Oshea. "No, this trap is for me and Sam. The trickster could really care less about Ella. He should be showing his ugly little face any minute now..."

"Now is that any way to treat your host? After I invited you to my lovely home, baked a pie," the Trickster had appeared behind them, looping his arms around Oshea and pinning her arms against her sides

as he pulled her to his chest. He leaned his head over her shoulder and leaned his temple against hers. "I must say, boys, you've done one heck of a job picking your lovers. That Ella, mmm..." He closed his eyes and licked his lips a little before opening his eyes again, grinning wolfishly. "She was -amazing-... you don't look like you'd be too bad yourself, sweetie." He said, nuzzling Oshea's cheek.

Sam's jaw tightened as he gripped the stake so hard his knuckles became white. "If you've touched Ella..."

Dean glared, before pulling the stake into view. "You might want to consider backing the hell off, Trickster," he threatened, gritting his teeth.

The Trickster grinned as he rubbed Oshea's arm. "Oh don't be such a spoil sport. I'm just trying to teach you a very important lesson, Dean. You think that you're so great... that you can just have whatever you want when you want. It doesn't work that way." He chuckled and keeping one arm holding Oshea's arms down, he lifted his hand and turned Oshea to face him, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her deeply. Oshea squirmed and when he pulled away, she panted softly. He stroked back her hair and turned to Sam. "You better find your girlfriend soon." He said, his voice vaguely threatening as he disappeared.

"Son of a..." Dean muttered, his voice trailing off. He stepped over to Oshea, glancing at her for a moment. "You okay?"

Oshea nodded, "Yeah, I just got violated by Trickster tongue, but I'm fine." She said with a grimace. "Come on, we need to find Ella." As they walked through the halls of the house, Oshea arched a brow, looking at the paintings that lined the walls. Once when they were upstairs, Oshea moved to the banister and looked down toward the front door, seeing someone standing just inside. "Castiel? How did you get here, Cas?"

Castiel turned and looked up at her, taking a step toward the stairs. "I took a bus."

Dean arched a brow. "How did you know where to find us since you can't just poof anymore?"

"Bobby called me and told me where to find you," The angel said as he started up the stairs to join them. Just before he reached the top, the house groaned and shifted and there was suddenly a wall where the top of the stairs had been. Oshea sighed, shaking her head. "Oh perfect," She said grumpily. "The house changes." Castiel tilted his head and ran one hand over the surface of the newly formed wall that separated him from the others then turned around, finding a long hall stretching out in front of him. He started down it carefully, glancing into the partially open doors that lined the wall. "Ella? Ella..."

"Oshea!" Dean called out, slamming his hands against the wall that had separated them. He cursed loudly. "You guys be careful," he said before turning to Sam, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "Stupid house..." he grumbled before walking on.

"It's okay, Dean, we're alright over here!" She called to the wall, hoping at he could hear her. She sighed and turned around, jogging forward a little to catch up with Castiel, who had wandered further down the hall. "Ella! Ella, can you hear me?"

Ella was wandering around on the third floor, but she didn't know that. She had no idea where she was, or if she would ever see life outside of that ridiculously changing house. After a couple of doorways and staircases later, she was on the first floor, roaming the halls. She had been walking for over an hour. Tired, she slumped against a walls in an empty room with no windows. Suddenly, she heard faint voices calling out her name.

"Ella?" Castiel carefully pushed open the door with the toe of his shoe and peered in warily. He and Oshea had nearly gotten trampled a few moments before when Oshea had flung open one of the doors only to find an elephant charging through the room beyond toward the door. They had only just gotten the door closed in time and since had been very careful about which doors they opened. When Castiel saw Ella slumped against the wall, he stepped toward her and knelt down in front of her. "Ella, are you alright?" He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before he was grabbed from behind by the collar of his trench coat and thrown backwards into the wall.

The Trickster shook his head as he watched Castiel slump to the floor. "So this is the mighty angel Castiel. You don't seem so angelic to me." Castiel was pushing himself up to his feet when the Trickster stepped to him and easily lifted him from the ground, throwing him into the wall beside of Ella. He stepped toward him and grabbed him by the throat, holding him off of the floor and against the wall, his back was facing the doorway. Oshea's eyes widened as she peered into the doorway and saw them. She gripped her stake tight and started toward him. She was just about to drive it into his back when the Trickster turned and knocked the stake from her hands. Still holding Castiel to the wall, he grabbed a fist full of Oshea's hair and flung her through a door that had just appeared. After she had staggered inside, the door vanished.

Oshea pounded against the walls, trying to find a way out, but there were no doors and no windows. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed that the ceiling of the room was descending. It soon was so close that she had to bend down to stand in the room and it continued to drop. "Oh my god... DEAN!" She screamed, lifting her hands to try to stop the ceiling from crushing her. "DEAN! SAM! Somebody help me!"

Dean and Sam heard the screams, and then the sound of Ella's voice. "Sam, Dean, in here!"

They followed her voice to the room where the Trickster and Ella and Cas was, and Dean charged forward, driving the stake into the Trickster's back.

The Trickster stiffened, his brows furrowing as he looked down at the tip of the stake protruding from his chest. "No... fair...," He breathed, dropping Castiel and staggering backwards. Sam rushed over to Ella and knelt down beside of her, "Are you alright, Ella?" He said quickly, looking her over. Oshea closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the ceiling to finally reach her and crush her. When nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes and saw that the ceiling had stopped just centimeters above her. She released the breath she had been holding and started to push herself toward the door that had appeared behind her. She finally reached it and pushed it open before she darted into the room. "Dean! Dean!"

Dean reached down and yanked the stake out of the Trickster's limp form, looking at it with disgust for a moment before looking over to see Oshea running towards them. The brightly colored wallpaper started to fade, and crack and peel, and as they stepped out into the hallway, they saw that that were no longer in the Winchester Mystery House, and they were now inside the dilapidated home that they had saw when they first showed up. They made their way to the front door of the home, and stepped out on the front porch.

As they all piled into the car, with the Winchester boys sitting in the front and the sisters sitting in the back with Castiel between them, the Trickster's body inside began to ripple then faded as blue smoke eased from it until it vanished.


	35. Poison Whiskey

_xx_

_A FEW WEEKS LATER_

_xx_

The black 1967 Chevy Impala pulled into the tiny parking lot of Gaston Inn, a small shady looking motel just outside the city limits of Gastonia, North Carolina. Everyone in the car looked at it with disgust, but that quickly faded as they realized it could be worse. In the past couple years of hunting together, they had been forced to stay in many motels, and this particular motel was heaven compared to some of the places they had stayed. Everyone piled out of the car, bringing their duffle bags and a bag of weapons, as Dean went inside and checked them in. They went to the room that would be theirs while they were in town for the case. It was already half past two in the morning as they went inside the room and unpacked and got ready for bed.

Castiel was laying in an old lounge chair that was sitting by the table, asleep under a blanket. Sam was sleeping peacefully in the bed with Ella. The only sound was the soft rustling of the sheets as Oshea tossed and turned in the bed. She finally sat up quickly, panting softly. She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it back from her face and finding her forehead damp with sweat. Slowly, she stood up from the bed and grabbed one of the keys to the room before she stepped into the hall and started down toward the vending machines at the end of the hallway.

The vending machine hummed lowly as she approached it, and the hallway's dim light flickered for a moment as a tall handsome man walked from the other hallway and appeared between Oshea and the vending machine. He grinned as he leaned his back against the glass of the vending machine, running a hand through his messy dark brown, almost black hair. "Hey, O, it's been a while."

Oshea jumped a little, startled. Her eyes grew wide as she saw him. "Jonah?" She hissed then looked over her shoulder, glancing toward the door of their hotel room before she looked back to him. She cleared her throat, curling her arms around herself. "Jonah, what are you doing here?"

Jonah chuckled and then blinked, his eyes flooding black a moment before he blinked again and they returned to normal. "Oh come on, O, what's with the hard feelings? Can't an old friend stop by and see another old friend?"

"I'm sorry," Oshea said, her brows furrowing as she rubbed her eyes a little. She let her hand fall to her side. "I just haven't been feeling like myself lately." She looked up at him and offered a tiny smile. "It is good to see you... but you shouldn't be here. If anyone finds you..." She frowned slightly as she let her voice trail off.

"What? They'll kill me?" He laughed. "I'd like to see those Winchesters try," he shook his head, still smirking a bit. "Anywho! I thought I would drop by, I've been trailing you since you left that lousy fill-up joint a couple states over. I thought I would pay my little blood buddy a visit... Speaking of, had any cravings? It certainly has been a while..." He said, grinning devilishly as he put his hands loosely on her hips and pulled her out of view, over to the adjoining hallway.

Oshea blushed slightly as he touched her hips and led her into the hallway. She did not attempt to pull away or move his hands from her. Sighing softly, she lifted a hand and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "I haven't been able to get away... with all that's been going on..." She looked up at him. "Jonah... I don't think I can do this anymore."

Jonah's grin faded as he turned serious, gripping her by the shoulders and pinning her against the wall roughly. "The longer you go without the demon blood, the worse it gets. I'm talking migraines and mood swings and hallucinations out the wazoo. You think it's bad now? You'll come across a few demons, and you won't be able to control yourself, literally. You'll be knee deep in the sweet blood of the innocent, and your little friends are going to send you packing because they'll think you're a freak. Do you honestly want that? No, of course you don't. You want to be normal, but sweetie, we are so beyond normal right now. But I promised you we would keep this secret, away from your clueless friends, but if you want to quit cold turkey, that's your problem."

Oshe'a eyes grew wide and she gave a small cry of alarm, flinching as he pushed her against the wall roughly. She swallowed hard and stared at him, her lips faintly parted as she breathed through them. "You need to go...," She said lowly, trying to keep her voice steady. She was terrified of what he had said, mostly because she knew he wasn't lying. She was already feeling the headaches, the mood swings. How long before she started seeing things as well? Before she went on a rampage tearing out demon's throats and wrists in search of a fix? "Now, Jonah."

Jonah glared at her for a few moments before letting loose of her arms and walking away. "You'll be crawling back to me soon. It's the only option and you know it."

Oshea continued to stare straight ahead as she listened to his footsteps fading down the hallway. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth and slid down against the wall to the floor, tilting her head back against it as tears filled her eyes and silently slid down her cheeks. How had she gotten herself into this mess?

_xx_

_SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER…_

_xx_

The bar was lit with dim fluorescent lights that hung from the dark, shadowed ceilings; the room was hazy with a thick, choking fog of cigarette smoke. Oshea was sitting on one of the stools, leaning her elbows against the surface of the bar. She was wearing a short, strapless black dress and heels though they were resting on the floor and her feet were for the moment bare and resting on the lower rung of the stool. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun and strands were falling about her face and exposed shoulders. A shot glass was clasp in her left hand and she was staring vacantly at the liquid, swirling it gently around in the container but not drinking. She was too heartbroken to even drink.

A man entered the room, his eyes immediately resting on the redhead drowning away her troubles at the bar. "That's the one..." he said under his breath, and then turned his serious expression into a mischievous grin as he approached her, sitting down on the stool next to her. He asked the bartender for a shot of whiskey, and then downed it. When the bartender was pouring him another shot, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "We need to talk."

Oshea did not look up as the door opened and a bit of the cool night air brushed away some of the cigarette smoke, allowing her to have a brief clean breath before her lungs were clogged again. Her brows furrowed when she felt someone's breath against her face and as he whispered in her ear, she stiffened slightly. She turned to glance at him and frowned, shaking her head. "Not interested." She whispered, turning her attention back down to her untouched shot.

The man smirked, and then downed the shot the bartender slid over to him. He sat the shot glass back down on the bar, and turned to her again. "You're feisty. I like that. But I think you'll be very interested after you hear what I have to say, Oshea Blackwood."

Oshea immediately turned back to look at him, her brows furrowing. "Who are you?" She said, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "How do you know my name?" She lowered her hand, feeling the thin stiletto knife that was attached to a leather band buckled to her thigh under her dress.

"Oh sweetie don't even bother with that pretty little knife of yours, you might hurt yourself," He said, smiling at her.

She narrowed her eyes and lifted her shot glass. After she downed the liquid in a single gulp and stood up, she leaned down and hooked her fingertips into the back of her heels. Barefoot and holding her shoes in her right hand, she padded around behind him. "Stay away from me." She said starting toward the door. He waited a few moments before getting up from the stool and following after her out the door into the cool night air.

When he stepped outside, Oshea shoved him back against the wall of the building and held the edge of her knife's blade to his throat. "This knife has been dipped in holy water," She said lowly. "Who and... what... are you? How do you know my name? And why are you following me?"

The grin remained on the young man's lips as he stood there, calmly. "Name's Jonah," He said, blinking. His eyes were black for a moment, and then they were normal. "Careful with that," he said, gesturing towards the knife pressed against his throat. "And as for the reason I'm here, I just have a tad bit of information for you about yourself and Sam Winchester that you might be interested in hearing."

Oshea pushed the blade closer slightly, watching him a moment before she finally continued. "What kind of information?" She said quietly, intrigued. She knew that she should just kill him, he was a demon after all, but she was curious to hear what he had to say.

"That knife is getting a tad bit uncomfortable, not to mention it's useless. It won't kill me. Plus, you'd be killing... well, I didn't catch his name," he said with a chuckle. "But he's still inside here, so you go kill happy with that little pig stick of yours all you want, but I'm not the one you'll be killing."

Oshea hesitantly pulled back, flipping the knife closed. She took a step backwards and pulled up the edge of her dress, exposing her left thigh and hip as she slipped the knife back into place. Releasing her dress, it fell back over her, dropping to her knees. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Satisfied?" She said curtly, looking him over. "Now tell me."

Jonah cleared his throat and started walking down an alleyway. "You remember when you and your little gang of hunters cut the lights on around here when you let the devil's gate get opened? And the adorable little group of psychic children all gunning for a crown? It seems you and Sam were left in the dark about certain... details... of the extent of your powers, along with what Azazel really did the night he broke into your home and burned your mother alive in the ceiling."

Oshea's brows furrowed and she stepped after him quickly. "What are you talking about? I've already explained this to Sam and Dean... My mother died when I was twelve. She and my father died in a car accident not in a fire."

Jonah's eyes widened in disbelief and then he burst into a momentary fit of wry laughter. "Oh, wow. I guess no one told you that you were adopted... my bad..." He laughed once more and then stopped himself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh."

Oshea stopped walking abruptly, her eyes widening as she watched him. "Adopted...?" She could not believe that she had not known, that her sister had never told her about this. "So the parents that died in the car accident weren't really... so my real mother... she was burned alive on the ceiling by a demon?" She said, her brows furrowing as her voice cracked slightly.

"Yep, 'fraid so," He said, shaking his head. "Wow, some sis, huh? Didn't even tell you that you were adopted. Eh, who needs her," he shrugged. "Okay, so this next bit of info may be hard to hear, so if you've had enough disturbing updates about your life for one night.. oh, who the hell am I kidding, I'm going to tell you anyway. Before Azazel pinned your mother to the ceiling, ripped open her stomach and burned her alive, before the sweet smell of flesh and organs filled the air of your childhood home, he walked right over to your crib in the dead of night, cut open his wrist, and bled into your mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals, makes you big and strong."

Oshea stared at him, shaking her head slowly as she took a step backwards away from him. She felt a little sick at his descriptive little speech; the idea of her mother roasting alive and bleeding, the thought of her drinking the blood of a demon caused her stomach to churn. "You're lying...," She said softly.

Jonah turned serious for a moment. "Do I have any reason to?"

Oshea stared at him a moment, tears gathering in her eyes. She brought a hand to her mouth and covered it, leaning her back against the wall of one of the buildings. This was all too much. First, she found out that she was really adopted and her sister had failed to mention this over the passed twenty odd years, that her birth mother was dead and not just dead, but brutally murdered by a demon, a demon who had poisoned her with demon blood, demon blood that still was running through her veins. "So... what does this mean?" She said, her voice unsteady as she lowered her hand from her lips. "I'm some... some kind of demon spawn?"

"It means you're special, Oshea. But, you're weak. However, if you do what I tell you to, you can be more powerful than you ever imagined."

Oshea trembled, not moving from the wall she had leaned herself against. She had never thought of herself as special, but cursed with having to see the terrible things that would come to pass, things that for the most part she was unable to prevent. He was right about one thing, she was weak. She had not been strong enough to save her brother... or Dean. The thought of him brought fresh tears to her eyes, but she held them back. Swallowing hard, she brushed the tears that had already fallen away and turned to look at him. She didn't want to be weak anymore. "What... what do I have to do?"

"Well first off, we're going back to my place. This conversation is not one I'd like to continue having in a dark alley outside of a bar," he said and without a glance back at her, he started walking.

Oshea hesitated for only a moment before she started after him, walking quickly to keep up with him. The heels of her shoes clicked softly against the sidewalk and the road as she was lead far from the dim lights and the stench of alcohol. When they reached the house, Oshea was overwhelmed. What stood before her was a mansion surrounded by a tall stone wall with a wrought iron gate. She tilted her head back to look up at the building as she was led inside. In the doorway, she stopped and slid her aching feet out of the heeled shoes. She felt very small surrounded by the high vaulting ceilings and the elegant decor.

Jonah smirked when he caught her staring around at his home. "Awesome, huh? Whoever this," he said, gesturing at himself with a wave of both of his hands. "dude is, has a pretty kick ass taste in houses. I definitely approve," he said, walking towards the mini-bar on the far corner of the room, pouring himself a glass to drink. He turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder at Oshea. "Want anything?"

Oshea remained in the entryway, watching him warily as he moved to get himself a drink. Every bone in her body was telling her this was a terrible idea, that she should leave now before things got out of hand, but she pushed these thoughts away, reasoning that she could handle one demon if things started to go sour. When he made the offer, she hesitated and slowly shook her head.

Jonah shrugged, "More for me, then." He downed the glass and then sat it back down on the bar, turning to her and crossing his arms over his chest. "So, you ready to do this, then?"

Oshea swallowed hard then nodded. "Yes... I'm ready. What do I have to do?" She whispered, taking a step toward him away from the door.

Jonah stepped away from the mini-bar and approached Oshea. Before she knew it, he had kneeled down and put one hand on her leg, sliding it up until he found the knife, pulling it out of it's strap. He backed away, examining it. He flipped it open and twirled it around in his hand, glancing at it for a moment before cutting into his wrist, dragging the knife across until there was a straight line. "You can hold still and drink up," He said grinning as he held out his arm in front of her.

Oshea's heart began to beat faster as she felt his hand against the skin of her leg, moving upward under her dress until he found the knife. She bit her lower lip as he backed away. Her brows furrowed as she watched him cut into his wrist. When he held out his arm, she made a face of disgust and backed up until her back was pressed up against the door. "I am -not- drinking... that..."

Jonah rolled his eyes. "You asked me what you needed to do, and this is it. This sweet stuff is already pumping through those pretty little veins of yours, I'm just giving you a sure fire way to turn up the volume on those little powers you're supposed to have. You think those visions were handy? Try being able to kill demons, not just send them back to Hell, but actually kill them, with your mind. Wouldn't that be neat? And it's possible, if you just let yourself drink it."

Oshea's brows furrowed, and she stepped away from the door slowly. He was right, it would be very helpful to have the power to kill demons, much more helpful than her visions had ever been. She looked up at Jonah a moment, trying to judge if she should believe him or not, but if he had planned on hurting her, he would have done it already. Slowly, she lowered her eyes to his arm and cupped her hands beneath his wrist. Drawing it forward, she lowered her head down and covered the wound with her lips, taking in a little into her mouth. Her brows furrowed and she grimaced at the taste, starting to pull back slightly.

Jonah pulled her closer, placing a hand on her back so that she couldn't move away. Oshea grunted slightly against the skin of his arm and squirmed as she was held in place. After a moment, however, she relaxed and brought her hands up to his wrist again, holding it firmly to her mouth as she began to gulp down the thick, crimson fluid. At first, it had tasted terribly, almost making her ill, but the more she drank, the better it tasted and the more she wanted. She closed her eyes, giving a low groan of satisfaction as she continued to drink.


	36. Give Me A Little Drink

_PRESENT DAY_

The blocky numbers on the digital alarm clock read 5:02 AM as the door to the motel opened and Sam, completely awake, showered and dressed stepped into the quiet, dark room with a cardboard drink tray containing several Styrofoam cups filled to the brim with steaming coffee. A large paper bag was under one of his arms and he walked to the small table, setting down the tray of drinks and the bag from which came the enticing smell of bacon and fresh biscuits and hash browns. He walked over to Castiel, who was still slumped in the chair, his elbow leaned against the arm of the chair and his head resting in his hand. "Cas, wake up," Sam said as he gave him a little shake. Castiel blinked slowly, lifting his heavy eyelids and looking at Sam blankly a moment before he lifted his head and looked about the room. "Want something?" Sam asked as he moved back to the table. Castiel nodded slowly, his eyes half closed. "Something... something to eat would be nice." He said quietly. Sam nodded and brought him over a wrapped biscuit with bacon before he walked over to the other beds. Castiel slowly peeled away the wrapper and began to eat, dozing slightly in between bites. "Rise and shine, everyone! I brought breakfast." Sam said loudly as he gave the others a little shake to wake them.

Ella groaned quietly, jerking the covers up over her head. Dean slowly lifted his head up to look at the alarm clock. "Five in the morning, are you kidding me, Sam?"

"Nope, we need to get started," Sam said as he walked to Ella and pried the covers away from her head, leaning down to give her a little peck on the lips. "Come on, El." He said with a little laugh before walking around to Dean and Oshea's bed. "Your food is going to get cold, Dean. I even went and got you one of those personal sized apple pies from the convenient store a couple blocks over." Oshea moaned slightly and buried her head under her pillow. Her head was pounding and it made his voice sound as if he were shouting instead of talking normal.

Dean had laid his head back on the pillow, but when the words "personal sized apple pies" left Sam's lips, his eyes immediately shot open and he was across the room within moments, digging into the bag, but the pie was nowhere to be found. "Dude, you do not joke about having pie. You just signed your death wish," he said with a glare.

Sam chuckled as he shook his head, "I had to get you up somehow. Besides, I did bring you breakfast and coffee. And I wasn't lying about there being personal sized pies at the convenient store. We can stop by there on our way back from the cemetery." He said, walking to the table to grab his cup of coffee. He took a sip of it and glanced over to Castiel, who had fallen asleep again, with the biscuit half in his mouth. Sam stepped back over to him. "Cas... Cas!"

Castiel blinked and lowered the food from his mouth, looking up at Sam before shaking his head and looking down at the food again. "I'm sorry." Oshea groaned and pulled her head out from under the pillow, leaning her elbow against it and holding her head in her hand.

"Would you all please stop shouting?" She said lowly. She was sweating a little and there were bags under her eyes.

"Fine, fine, I'm up," Ella grumbled, dragging herself out of bed. She yawned and then slowly made her way to the bathroom, the door slamming behind her.

Oshea flinched as the door slammed and held her head in both hands, curling her fingers about her hair. Her head was throbbing as if someone was taking a hammer to her temples. She could barely see straight it was hurting so badly. She realized she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep feeling this way and she swung her legs over the side of the bed, leaning her elbows on her knees and doubling, still holding onto her head.

Dean glanced up from the bag of food over at Oshea, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Oshea lifted her head and looked up at him, shaking her head slowly. "Nothing... I'm okay. It's just a headache."

"You sure?" Dean asked, arching a brow and walking over to her.

Oshea forced a little smile as he approached her and nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. It'll go away soon."

Although still not completely convinced, he nodded and smiled at her. "Well, since your sis is hogging the bathroom, how about some breakfast?"

_xx_

The headache did not go away. Even after she ate breakfast and took medicine for it, it only seemed to get worse as the day wore on. The pain was so bad that little black spots were dancing across her vision. She pretended she was fine, not wanting Dean or the others to be suspicious. As they were walking back toward the hotel after spending most of the day picking through the local cemetery and the surrounding ruins of buildings, they passed by an old bar with a group of young men standing outside next to a few motorcycles and talking while they smoked and drank. As soon as they started by them, Oshea stiffened and glanced out of the corner of her eyes toward the young men, focusing on one in particular. She could see the thin spider-webbing veins just under the skin of his neck and wrists and began to hear a loud rushing in her ears. It drowned out the sound of the other's voices and she felt herself salivating. She had to force herself to keep walking; everything in her was wanting her to turn around and go back, to satisfy the craving. She could hear the creature's heartbeat like a drum in her ears; her head began to throb with the rhythm. When everyone else had gone to bed, Oshea laid on her back on the bed beside of Dean, staring up at the ceiling while her head continued to pound until she felt ready to tear out her hair. She climbed from the bed and pulled out her cell phone, hurriedly finding Jonah's name and dialing as she stepped down the hallway. As she held the phone to her ear, her other hand combed through her hair repeatedly in a fidgety manner. "Pick up, Jonah... pick up pick up pick up..."

"_Your call has been forwarded to an automated voi-_" Oshea nearly screamed as she snapped the phone closed. She pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead and staggered back against the wall. Her fingers were trembling as she flipped open the phone again and pressed redial. The pain had grown so intense that she was feeling sick on her stomach and her eyes were watering. "Jonah... please... please... answer me..."

Jonah shook his head, grinning. He answered this time. "Hey, O, 'sup?"

"Jonah? Why didn't you answer the first time?" She said, trying to keep her voice steady. It was difficult, even the sound of her own voice brought a fresh pain to her skull. "Jonah... I need your help... please..."

"So you need my help? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, I thought you could handle this on your own," He replied with a scoff.

"Jonah, please... this isn't funny... I feel... I feel like I'm dying...," She said weakly. "My head is pounding... I could... I could actually hear a demon's heart beating... it's blood pumping through it's veins. I'm going crazy, Jonah..." She sighed, rubbing her watering eyes. "Where are you...? I'll come to you..."

Jonah chuckled. "Go outside," and then he hung up.

Oshea's brows furrowed as she looked down at her phone. She shut it and pushed herself away from the walls she had been leaning against, staggering toward the door. She pushed it open and shivered a little in the cold night air. She hovered just outside of the door a moment before she stepped further out unsteadily. She felt as if she were going to pass out. "Jonah...?"

Jonah stepped away from the wall and appeared in front of her. "Boo."

Oshea gasped slightly, looking up at him startled. She sighed. "Jonah..." She took a step forward and swayed, falling against him. "Jonah, make it stop..." She gripped the front of his shirt as she started to sink to her knees. "Please... I can't take it anymore..."

Jonah quickly gripped her wrists and pulled her back to her feet, staring her in the eyes for a few long moments before he nodded. "Let's go."

Oshea nodded, leaning against him as he started to lead her from the hotel. She kept one of her hands against her head as they walked. "Where are we going?"

"My place," Jonah said with a wink.

_xx_

_SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER_

_xx_

Sunlight pilled between the thick black curtains and the translucent cream colored lace curtain that fell between them. It pooled on the floor and spread onto the elegant four poster bed. Dust danced in the beam of light. The amber rays illuminated the two figures resting beneath the thick comforter and sheets. Oshea's red hair was falling in slightly messy waves onto her bare shoulders. She was laying on her side, facing the window and the sunlight. She blinked in the bright light and squinted as her sleepy eyes adjusted to the harsh light, she wasn't ready to face the day just yet. Yawning, she turned onto her other side, scooting closer to the other figure in the bed. She laid her head against Jonah's shoulder, resting a hand on his bare chest.

Jonah's arm was wrapped around Oshea, his hand resting on her back. As Oshea became still again, he carefully moved her head off his chest and slid out of bed. He picked up his clothes that were scattered about the floor of the room, and quickly put them on, and then he was out the door. Oshea opened her eyes and her brows furrowed as she saw the empty space beside of her, her hand resting on the pale, cool sheets instead of Jonah's warm chest. He had been gone a while, the heat from his body had left the covers. Sighing, she drew her arms around herself and brought her knees to her chest. After a moment, she grabbed her clothes off of the floor, put them on, and stepped from the room, going through the large house toward the door.

Jonah stepped out from the shadows of the large living room, his dark button up shirt unbuttoned as he held a clear glass to his lips, drinking out of it. "Where are you off to?"

Oshea turned quickly and smiled a little as she shook her head. "Must you keep doing that? You're going to give me a heart attack one day." She said before brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was actually going to go back to the hotel. My sister is probably wondering where I am."

Jonah rolled his eyes, taking another sip of the drink as he turned away from her, walking back to his mini-bar. "Actually, I had a better idea... why don't we try out those special powers of yours. You had enough blood last night, so you're probably ready. Besides, it's pretty early, I doubt your sister is even awake."

Oshea lifted her brows a little as she stepped forward from the door. "You really think I'm ready?" She said, feeling a little excited. "Alright, just tell me what I need to do."

Jonah led Oshea down the stairs into the basement of the large home, flipping on the light switch as he stepped through the door. A light flickered for a moment, and then remained on. In the middle of the room, a scrawny balding man was tied to a chair. A Devil's Trap was drawn neatly on the cement floor under him. Oshea followed him down the stairs and into the basement, squinting and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her brows furrowed as she saw the man sitting in the chair and the Devil's Trap beneath him. "What do I do, Jonah?"

Jonah pulled her over in front of the man, and then stood behind her, holding out her right arm in front of her, and then stepped away, leaving her standing there with her arm outstretched. "Concentrate, and pull the demon out of him," He said simply, with a shrug as he leaned against the wall.

Oshea glanced back over her shoulder at Jonah as he pulled her in front of the man and lifted her arm. She stared at the man a moment before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her brows furrowing as she concentrated as hard as she could. After a few moments, she gasped and staggered, grimacing as she brought a hand to her head. The man in the chair just laughed at her. Oshea panted heavily, lifting her slightly shaking hand to her nose, finding a little blood had dribbled from it toward her upper lip. "Am I... doing something wrong?"

Jonah just rolled his eyes. "You didn't expect to yank the demon out on the first try, did you? Just try again."

Oshea brushed away the blood from beneath her nose and straightened, stepping forward again and lifting up her hand. She took in a deep breath before she closed her eyes again tightly and began to concentrate harder. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she grunted softly, her brows furrowing deeply. A thin stream of blood began to run freely from her nose and over her lip.

The man's eyes turned black for a moment as he laughed bitterly. In mid-chuckle he began to choke, smoke started to slowly fall out of his mouth and fell down to the floor, circling around him. After a moment, Oshea's concentration weakened and the smoke started to slowly jam itself back into the man's throat.

Oshea grunted, feeling her concentration waning. Her arm jerked and fell to her side again, but she lifted it up quickly and pushed harder. She gritted her teeth, pursing her lips together. She was determined and she wasn't going to stop this time until she succeeded. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead and dampened her brow.

Just as quickly as the smoke had started flowing back into the man's throat, it went in reverse, until all of the smoke had formed in a circle around the chair by his feet, and melted through the floor, burning through the concrete until it disappeared. Oshea's eyes opened sharply and she gave a ragged gasp as her arm fell again to her side and she sank down to her knees on the floor, panting heavily. She felt a little dizzy and her head was throbbing. Licking her lips, she tasted blood and sniffed, bringing her hand up to her face to wipe at the blood that had slipped from her nose.

Jonah smirked a bit as he watched her for a moment, and then walked past her to the man tied up on the chair, checking his pulse. Oshea looked up, watching him as he moved to the man. "Is he alright?" She asked quietly, pushing herself up to her feet.

"Nope," Jonah said, pulling his hand away. "He's a goner. Probably been dead for weeks now."

Oshea frowned, shaking her head a little. "That poor man...," She whispered. "Is it always going to be this difficult for me to pull demons out?"

Jonah shrugged nonchalantly. "It'll get easier over time."


	37. Zip Mouth Angel

_PRESENT DAY_

Oshea yawned as she sat down in the booth beside of Dean, watching the sky shift from grey to a pale pink and orange. It had been a very long night. She had gone with Jonah to the hotel where he was staying and had taken a little of his blood, just enough to keep the headaches and the hallucinations at bay before returning back to the hotel where the others were staying. She had gotten back just in time to find the others getting ready to leave to go back to the cemetery to burn the bones and get rid of the spirit that had been haunting the area. After they had finished that without too much trouble, they had decided to leave the dingy hotel where they had been staying. Without a new case to chase after, they had settled on simply finding a nicer hotel to crash at and get some R and R. They had been driving most of the night looking for a decent place- Gastonia was not known for its four star hotels after all- and Dean had finally turned into a Waffle House to get some breakfast. The sun was just coming up and the restaurant was relatively empty when they stepped in. It was occupied only by a waitress, a couple of cooks, and a pair of truckers that were sitting at the bar, nursing cups of coffee.

The group made their way over to a small booth in the corner of the restaurant and sat down. A short, portly middle aged woman with graying brown hair walked over to the booth a few moments later, smiling, revealing a few crooked teeth. "Morning," she greeted with a little chuckle.

Oshea stiffened as the woman walked over to the table. She slowly looked away from the window and up at her, faintly hearing the beating of her heart. Her brows furrowed slightly as the sound was joined by the throbbing of other hearts. She bit her lower lip, curling her fingers into fists in her lap. She could barely keep herself from lunging at the woman by their table. There was movement from the bar and she glanced over, seeing that the men were turning in their direction and slowly standing from their chairs. "Dean...," She said slowly.

Dean looked up at Oshea with his eyebrows raised for a moment before the other men approaching caught his attention. The cooks stepped out from the kitchen and guarded the doorways. "Ah, crap," Dean muttered. Ella's eyes widened as she started to raise from the booth, but the waitress lifted her hand and moved it in a swift gesture, sending Ella flying across the restaurant, a table toppling over as she crashed to the floor.

"Ella!" Sam said, standing up quickly from the booth. He did not have a chance to move toward her, however, as he was flung in the opposite direction. He smashed into one of the tables and slid across it's surface before falling into the chairs beside it, tipping them and sending them to the floor. Oshea pushed herself up, climbing over the table and dropping into the next booth. She slid out from the booth and pulled her and Ella's knife from the waistband of her pants, tossing it to Ella as the two truckers started toward her.

Ella let out a quiet gasp of pain as she struck the table. She grabbed the knife as it clattered across the tiled floor towards her, and quickly rose to her feet, wincing a bit. One of the trucker men grinned, his eyes turning black as he walked towards her slowly. "Well, hello."

Ella lunged forward, coming at him with the knife, but he knocked the weapon out of her hand and it flew to the other end of the restaurant. The trucker demon continued to grin as he quickly reached out his arm and wrapped his hand tightly around Ella's neck, pulling her off the ground with ease. "You, my dear, are coming with us."

Oshea cursed as the knife was flung away and she dashed after it, snatching it up from the ground before it even stopped skittering across the floor. She skidded to a stop and whirled around, rushing in the direction of her sibling. She narrowed her eyes and gripped the handle of the knife tightly, driving the blade through the back of the trucker's thick neck. His grip on Ella loosen and he dropped her to the ground as he staggered backwards. Blood began to pump from the wound, smearing across his pale skin and the collar of his flannel, plaid shirt. Oshea yanked the knife free and shoved the trucker to the floor. The man hit hard and she dropped down with him. She simply could not control herself anymore. She straddled the man and pressed her lips against the wound in his throat, gulping down the crimson liquid.

Ella rubbed her hand on her reddened throat for a moment, and gasped for air as she dropped to the floor. Everyone stopped to stare at Oshea, even the demons. When she had stopped, the waitress demon chuckled. "What a frea-" her insult was interrupted as the building started to shake and a piercing screech started to fill the air. The demons began to hiss and stepped away, staring toward the ceiling as the fluorescent lights began to shake and flicker. The waitress and the cooks' heads suddenly lurched backward, their mouths falling open as the black smoke quickly fled their bodies and disappeared through the windows and under the door. Castiel, who had been attacking one of the possessed cooks, dropped the now limp body and turned toward the others.

"An angel is coming..." The screeching grew louder, and Castiel cringed, bringing his hands to his ears. "Shield your eyes and ears." He shouted over the shrieking. The restaurant was suddenly filled with a blinding light that engulfed everyone and everything inside. The screeching was so loud and piercing that the bulbs in the lights and the windows shattered, scattering glass onto the people and the floor. To Ella, however, it was not screeching, but a deep, melodious voice that seemed to echo as it spoke. Castiel gasped in pain, sinking to the floor of the restaurant as another figure appeared in the restaurant.

"Ella Blackwood?" The figure said quietly, approaching her. It was very tall and slender with lean, tight muscles and six wings spread out from its back and shoulders. It had four faces facing different directions. The one facing her was human and very handsome with white glowing eyes; on the right was the face of a lion; the left was an eagle; the last was like an ox. The creature's human face smiled faintly. "It is a pleasure. My name is Zachariah."

Ella stumbled backwards, her eyes as wide as they had ever been in her life. She looked over at Sam and then to Oshea, and then to Dean and Cas, who seemed to be writhing in pain on the floor, covering their ears tightly with their hands and squeezing their eyelids shut, and then she looked back up at the figure, gaping. Zachariah glanced to the others then looked back to Ella, still smiling. He seemed not to care that his presence was causing the others significant pain. "I realize you must be confused. Allow me to explain. You are special, Ella. You are one of the only humans alive that is able to see and hear angels in our true forms." He said, spreading his arms. "You are very valuable to us. Only one or two people like you are born every few thousand years. Because you are so valuable, it has come to our attention that you will need protection. We had hoped that the Winchesters would provide significant protection, but they have proven otherwise." He said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Therefore, we will be sending an angel to guard you. He will meet you soon. As for you," Zachariah's voice became sharp as he stepped toward Castiel, who was trembling on the floor. "You are coming with me." He grabbed Castiel by the upper arm and jerked him to his feet, dragging him toward the door. He turned and looked over his shoulder toward Ella. "It was a pleasure to meet you, my dear. We will be in touch." He winked a little then vanished with Castiel.

As the screeching ceased, and the blinding white light suddenly vanished, Dean rose to his feet, stumbling over to Oshea and pulling her up a little roughly. He wiped some blood that had started dripping from his nose away and then wiped his hand on his dark jeans. He looked over at Sam and helped him up. "What the hell was that?" He looked at Ella next, who's skin was somewhat paler, and her eyes were still a little wide, an eyebrow arched.

Oshea slowly opened her eyes and lowered her hands from her ears. She gave a little gasp as Dean jerked her up and she swallowed, looking down at the demon she had been drinking from. Lifting up one hand, she brushed away the blood from her lips and moved slowly to her sister. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped her eyes widening as she saw the people that the demons had been possessing. Their eyes had been burned from their sockets and blood was running from their ears and the empty holes left by their eyes. Sam rubbed away a little blood from his face and looked around. "Dean, Castiel is gone." He looked over to Ella. "Ella, what happened? Are you alright?"

"You mean you guys didn't see it?" She swallowed a little. "I guess he was right," she said a little quietly. "He said his name was Zachariah, that he was an angel and I was one of the only few people who can see them in their true form, which is high-def buckets of crazy, you guys. I'm talking multiple heads, wings, the whole enchilada. It was like a bad acid trip or something," she said shaking her head. "Oh, he said in so many words, that you guys suck at 'protecting' me, so he's sending some angel to meet us at a motel. Because apparently I need protecting?"

After a few moments of stunned silence, Sam shook his head. "Well, I guess the only thing to do is head out to meet this guardian angel of yours." He said looking from Ella to Dean. "I mean it couldn't hurt. We could use the help, after all we were getting our butts kicked a few minutes ago." He turned back to Ella. "Did you see what happened to Castiel, Ella? Did this Zachariah do something to him?"

Ella nodded slowly. "Yeah, he snatched him away. Said he was coming with him. Back to Heaven is my guess. But by the way he looked at Cas, he was pissed."

"That doesn't sound good. The last time an angel was pissed at Castiel, he came back to us beat to a pulp. Maybe we can ask the new angel about that when he gets here," Sam said, his brows furrowing a little. Oshea was quiet, just listening, hoping that the others would forget about her drinking the demon blood with the excitement from the angel appearing.

Dean nodded, glancing over at Oshea, staring at her for a few moments before looking back at Sam. "We need to go to Bobby's," he said, raising his eyebrows a bit at Sam, hoping he would understand the gesture. He looked over at Ella. "Your little guardian angel can meet us all there."


	38. Levee's Gonna Break

_SOUIX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA_

It only took them a few hours to get to the familiar home. The drive was quiet as everyone was on edge from the appearance of the angels and from the discovery of Oshea's secret. She kept quiet, not knowing what she could say to explain. Bobby was waiting for them when they arrived and helped them bring their bags inside the house. As Oshea was bringing her duffel bag inside, Bobby stopped her. "Oshea, there's something downstairs I want to show you and the others. You and Dean go on down there and I'll get Sam and Ella." Oshea nodded without a word, glancing to Dean briefly as she laid down her bag and started downstairs. Dean followed Oshea, and when they had reached the panic room, he stopped at the door, looking down at the ground as she continued to walk inside.

Oshea moved into the panic room that Bobby had set up downstairs and smiled a little. She had heard about it, but had not had the chance to actually see it yet. Bobby stepped out behind Dean while Oshea was looking around the room and gave him a little nod. Dean stared into the panic room one last time before they both pulled the heavy iron door and then pushed it to a close, locking the latches, and closing the little barred window. The sound of the door closing echoed throughout the house loudly.

Oshea jumped as she heard the door slam behind her and she frowned, stepping from the middle of the room to the door. "Dean? Dean, are you out there?" She called through the door. She tried to open it and frowned deeply, starting to feel nervous. "Dean? Dean, what's going on? Let me out..."

He and Bobby exchanged glances and then after a moment, they started up the stairs to the main part of the house. Dean looked back, only for a moment, to hear the cries of Oshea and then he followed after Bobby. Oshea beat her fists against the door and tugged at the handle. "DEAN! DEAN! You can't leave me down here! LET ME OUT! DEAN PLEASE! Don't leave me down here!" Her cries followed Bobby and Dean up the stairs and poured into the room until they shut the door that led down to the basement. Sam looked up at Dean with a small frown.

Ella was quietly curled up in the small armchair in the corner of the room, staring at the wall as Oshea's screams from below was muffled by the door closing.

Sam looked over at her and frowned sympathetically. He had opened his mouth to speak when there came the sound of footsteps. A slender teenage male stepped from the entryway into the room where they all were gathered. He was wearing a pair of dusty, worn jeans and Converse shoes; a white button down shirt was messily tucked into the waistband of the jeans and a tie was loosely dangling from around his neck. A black dress jacket hung over the white shirt and an acoustic guitar was slung over his back. His black hair was messy and hung in front of his face, partially hiding his bright blue eyes. He smiled, looking at them all. "Hello. My name is Joel."

Dean's eyes widened and he arched a brow. The room was silent for a moment. "Are you serious? You're supposed to be an angel? You look like a friggen Jonas brother for crying out loud."

Bobby's brows furrowed in disbelief, looking the young man over. "How old are you, twelve?"

Joel frowned and shook his head. "Seventeen. At least, that's how old my suit is." He said, glancing down at himself. He turned his attention to Dean and scoffed. "I can sing and play much better than those girls. But that's beside the point." He cleared his throat and straightened some. "I am Joel and I am the guardian angel assigned to you."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, we all feel very safe now that the Boy Wonder is here."

Dean scoffed. Ella's eyebrows were raised as she looked up at Joel, but she remained in the small armchair, hugging her legs to her chest. She chuckled a bit at Bobby's comment. "You've got to be joking. You're my guardian angel?"

"Yes. You must be Ella." Joel said with a smile, his eyes sparkling as he walked up to her. He shed his guitar and leaned it against the wall before going to stand in front of Ella. "It's a pleasure. Don't worry I'm quite capable of protecting you, much more capable than Tweedle Dee and Tweeddle Dum there," he said, glancing toward Sam and Dean.

"Funny," Dean said sarcastically with a snort. "Especially since you all-knowing angels didn't even bother to inform us about Ella's little ability to hear and see angels."

"It's none of my concern what the higher ups want to tell or keep from people," Joel said with a shrug. "I don't ask questions, I just do my job."

Sam straightened in his chair, suddenly remembering. "Speaking of your superiors, one of them took Castiel and we haven't seen him since."

Joel looked to Sam and sighed a little. "Castiel's in a whole mess of trouble...," He said with a small frown. "They took him back to Heaven so the angels could yell at him."

Sam shook his head in confusion. "I just don't understand what he did that was so bad."

Joel shrugged lightly. "He brought Oshea back from Hell. You see, it was the plan all along that you all were to be sent to the orphanage, Ella was supposed to die and Oshea was supposed to make a deal and bring her back. The angels want Oshea dead."

"And why is that?" Dean asked, glaring at the young angel.

Joel glanced toward the basement door silently for a moment, listening to the sound of Oshea's muffled screams. He lifted a hand and gestured toward the closed door. "That's why. Because of what she's been doing."

"Again, another lovely bit of information you and your nice little angel friends failed to mention. You just put a hit out on her, and don't even tell us," Dean said.

"I just told you didn't I? I didn't have to do that." Joel said, his brows furrowing. "They probably won't like that I told you since now you'll try to stop them from coming after her..."

"You're right, that's exactly what we're going to do. So if you angels have a problem with that, that's too bad," Ella said with a glare, standing up from the small armchair and walking past Joel towards the basement door. Joel was quiet as he watched her stand up from the chair and walk to the basement door. Oshea was crying softly, leaning against the door of the panic room. Her hands were red from beating against the metal of the door. As she heard someone coming down the stairs, she pounded against the door.

"Let me out! Please... please let me out!"

The sound of clanking metal was heard as Ella unlocked the iron door. "Back up from the door, Oshea, I'm coming in," She warned.

Oshea curled her arms around herself and stepped back from the door, keeping her eyes down on the floor. "Ella, I can't take this," She said quietly once her sister had entered the room. "Please... you have to let me out of here." Her voice was weak and scratchy from the yelling.

Ella looked down as she pushed the heavy door to a close. "Sorry, sis, I can't do that... you know I can't."

Oshea brushed a little hair behind her ear, coughing softly. "Yes, you could, Ella... please just... l-let me... out..." Her voice became tight and she coughed again, sinking down to the floor. She gagged and

doubled over, gasping and choking sharply. Suddenly, she lurched from the floor and flew through the air of the room, crashing into the wall. Her eyes rolled back as she grunted painfully and lifted her hands. She shuddered and her body jerked, rolling along the edge of the wall and crashing into shelves and other furniture in the room.

Ella stood helplessly, and pulled the door open a little, poking her head out. "Dean, Sam, Bobby! I need help! Something... something's happening!" She yelled up the stairs.

After a few moments the others had rushed downstairs to help. Bobby shook his head as moved into the panic room and along with Dean, grabbed Oshea and held her down onto the ground. Oshea jerked and convulsed against the floor violently. Bobby frowned deeply, glancing to Dean. "We're going to have to tie her down."

Dean stared down at Oshea for a moment, before looking back up at Bobby, nodding. Bobby pulled over a thin metal bed with a small old mattress. With Sam's help, he placed Oshea, who was thrashing weakly and whimpering, onto the bed and tied her down with padded leather cuffs on her wrists and ankles and a large strap across her chest. Oshea jerked and tugged against the straps, her eyes rolling back and sweat pouring down her face. Bobby sighed and looked to Dean. "Are we sure that we're doing the right thing?"

"Well what else are we supposed to do, Bobby?" Dean asked quietly. After they had her strapped down completely and safely, Bobby and Dean started out of the room. "I'll... I'll be up in a few minutes," Ella said, standing in the door way of the panic room.

Bobby sighed. "Dean, we're killing her." He said quietly as he and Dean moved up the stairs. "If she doesn't get what she needs... she isn't going to last much longer." Sam watched Ella a moment and hesitated at the bottom of the stairs before nodding and following the others. Oshea panted softly and tugged weakly at the restraints. There were footsteps after a moment and Joel stepped up beside of Ella. "I'm sorry... about your sister. I wish there was something I could do."

"I want to talk to my sister, alone." She said, not looking up at Joel as she started to close the iron door.

"Be careful," Joel said, glancing to Oshea briefly before he went back up the stairs. Ella pushed the door closed but did not lock it. She walked over to the side of Oshea's bed, and stood there for a moment, not saying anything. She walked away and sat down in the chair in the small room.

After a moment, Oshea opened her eyes and looked down at her wrists, giving her arms a little tug. She glanced around the room, stopping as she saw Ella sitting in the chair. "Why... why am I strapped down?"

"You were flinging around the room, Oshea," Ella said with a sigh. "You need to explain this, sis, because I don't understand it a damn bit."

Oshea sighed softly. "I don't... think there's really anything to explain, Ella." She said softly. "Please... just let me out of here... I can't go on like this much longer..."

Ella scoffed. "There's not much to explain? Oshea, you just broke down and chugged a demon's blood right in front of us, I think there's a good bit you need to explain. And until you do, and until you get better, you're staying right here in this room."

"Get better? There is no 'get better,' Ella." Oshea said with a bitter, pained chuckle. "Don't you understand? If you don't let me out of here… I'm going to die. Is that what you want? You want me to die strapped down to this bed and locked away in this room like I'm some kind of monster? Besides, I think you have some explaining to do, too. Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?"

Ella stared down at the floor. "When I found out, you were way too young for me to tell you. Then when you were older, I didn't know how to tell you. And after our parents, I mean... my parents, died, I didn't have the heart to tell you."

"You know how I found out? Jonah... a demon... told me. He told me that my real mother was killed by a demon. Yellow Eyes ripped open her stomach and burned her alive on the ceiling of our home. Before he did that, he cut open his wrist and made me drink his blood. When I was a baby." Oshea closed her eyes, her brows furrowing as she writhed slightly on the bed she was strapped to. "Jonah explained everything to me. I have powers, Ella. I can exorcise demons with my mind... if I keep this up, I'll be able to kill them. I won't be weak anymore... I'll be able to save people."

"You think this is you being strong, sis? Try weak. You are giving in to this... to this evil because of a demon, Oshea. The same type of creature that killed your mom, killed Sam and Dean's parents," Ella sighed and stood up, pacing around the room. "And you're believing every word he says. I cannot believe this. You're stronger than this, smarter than this."

"He's not lied to me so far, which is more than I can say for you." Oshea said with a frown. "You lied to me about my family, had plenty of opportunities to explain things to me and never did. I think you're jealous... I'm getting stronger and I'll finally be able to take care of myself...I won't need you to protect me anymore."

Ella scoffed, shaking her head. "Do you not hear yourself, Oshea? You're choosing demon blood, you're choosing a demon over me? I admit, I should have told you. But you being adopted doesn't make us any less family." Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. "So you can throw all of this in my face all you want, you can call me a liar, and tell me that you hate me for not being honest. But you cannot for a second say that I won't always be here for you, because you are my sister, and I will never stop trying to protect you. Which is why I can't let you out," Ella said, walking over to the door, turning her back to her as she pulled it open and started to walk out.

Oshea opened her eyes and watched her sister as she started to leave. "Ella... Ella! So that's it? You're just going to leave me to die down here?" She shouted as she squirmed on the bed and jerked against the restraints.

"Don't be overdramatic," Ella said, turning to look at her as she stood out the door. "You're not going to die. But this isn't going to be easy, for you or us. Think of this as rehab, except for three times the hell. I'm sorry, but this has to be done. I can't let you turn into a monster. Think of your mom. Even if you never actually knew her. She died, trying to save you. And now you're repaying her by screwing around with the same kind of evil that killed her. This isn't right, Oshea, and deep down I think you know that." And with that, Ella pushed the door until it was closed completely, and she locked it, walking away and up the steps. She avoided the group of hunters that were gathered in the living room area outside the basement door, and she walked by them silently, grabbing her jacket that was slung over one of the chair, and walking outside, alone.

The sound of the door slamming echoed through the home along with Oshea's muffled cries. Joel glanced to the stairs, watching as Ella stepped out and grabbed her jacket before leaving the home altogether. He had been leaning against the wall by the basement door, his arms crossed over his chest. After she had left, Joel opened the door and slipped down the stairs. He stopped in front of the heavy metal door and frowned as he heard Oshea yelling and cursing inside. He hesitated, almost going back up the stairs. He did not know why he had been told to do this, but orders were orders. The locks of the door slowly slid away and the door swung open. Joel slid behind the staircase as the restraints on Oshea unfastened. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back slightly, hearing Oshea scramble from the bed and rush up the stairs.

Oshea frowned as she carefully pushed open the back door. She looked both ways before she slipped out and closed the door softly behind her. Once it had closed, she broke into a run away from the house.

Outside, Ella sat down on the rickety steps of Bobby Singer's front porch. She sighed deeply before leaning her head against the railing, closing her eyes. Sam stepped from the house and sat down on the steps beside of her, curling one arm around her shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay, Ella..." He said quietly.

Ella shook her head. "I don't know if it will be, Sam."


	39. Play With Fire

Oshea was trembling in one of the back booths of a bar named Jimmy's. The establishment was lit by a few dim lights hanging from the ceiling. A thin, pretty redhead stood behind the bar, wiping down a glass and chatting with a clearly drunk young man with blonde hair who was sitting on one of the bar stools. Oshea had run down the road as far as she could, but after she had started hallucinating and seeing all manner of things on the shadowy road, she had decided she had to stop. Her head was throbbing and she could not stop her body from shaking. Sweat was easing down her forehead and she lifted a hand, brushing her hair behind her ear as she shakily dialed the number again, only to get the same response as before. "_The wireless customer you are trying to reach is not available at this ti_-" She cursed and shut the phone roughly. "Jonah, where the hell are you when I need you?" she said below her breath.

A young man with short sandy blonde hair approached the bar and walked behind her. "Meet me in the back alley in ten minutes. I know who you are, and I know what you need." Before she had a chance to say anything, he was gone.

Oshea turned to look back at whoever had spoken to her but all she saw was the other patrons of the bar. She did however catch the faint aroma of demon blood over the smell of sweat and alcohol. She fidgeted in her seat as she waited for the ten minutes to pass. When it was time, she stood up from the booth, left money for the drink she had not touched, and stepped out into the back alley.

"Hello, Oshea," A voice said from behind her. The man from the bar was leaning against the brick wall of the establishment, his arms crossed over his chest as she smirked at her. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look well. Your little demon boytoy been holding out on you?"

Oshea whirled a little to face him, slightly startled that he had appeared behind her. She walked toward him slowly, nodding. "He won't answer his phone... I can't find him anywhere."

"That's because he doesn't want to be found. He wants you to marinate a bit, to prove that you need him. That's not very nice of him, but I understand where he's coming from," He said with a shrug.

Oshea shook her head. "You said you had what I needed... do you know where I can find him?" She said quickly. "I have to find him now before I get any worse..."

"I think you're a bit confused, darling," he said, furrowing his brows. "I said I have _what_ you need, not who." He slowly started to walk to her. She looked up at him and immediately after he stepped toward her, she caught a whiff of demon blood. She could hear it pumping through his veins. Her lips parted as she moved toward him quickly. The demon chuckled. "I'm flattered, really. But I think this goes without saying that the tasty blood pumping through my veins doesn't come free of charge, if you know what I mean."

"I'll do anything," Oshea said quietly. "Anything you want."

He grinned. "That's what I thought."

xx

Bobby looked up from the book he had been skimming and frowned, glancing to Dean. "Dean... do you hear that?" He said slowly. It had been a few hours since Ella had gone downstairs. It was very late and

Sam had finally taken Ella up to bed so she could get some much needed rest. Joel had tagged along and stood outside of the door in the hallway. Bobby closed his book. "That's a whole lot of nothing..." He had noticed that there was no noise coming from the basement for a while.

Dean's eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. He and Bobby hurried down the steps, and found the large iron door opened and the small panic room empty. "Okay, how did she get out? That door is like solid iron, and it was locked."

"Someone or some_thing _must have let her out. She couldn't have gotten out of the restraints or the room by herself." Bobby said, shaking his head. He removed his hat and scratched his head a little before replacing it. "We'd better wake the others. Maybe the Boy Wonder can help us find her."

Dean grumbled something about annoying pretty boy angels, and nodded, following Bobby back up the stairs. "Rise and shine, Sammy," He said, nudging Sam's leg that was hanging off the couch as he slept.

Sam groaned a little and lifted his head. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and blinked sleepily up at his elder brother. "I feel like I just laid down," He said with a little sigh. "What's going on? It's not even daylight yet..."

"Oshea's gone. She escaped somehow, something let her out."

"What's going on?" Ella mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she woke up.

"Your sis has pulled a Houdini on us, that's what's going on," Dean replied.

Sam's brows furrowed and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was more awake now. Glancing to Ella, he shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Do you have any idea where she went?" He said, looking between Dean and Bobby.

"We were hoping the JoBro wanna-be here could give us an idea." Bobby said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he looked at Joel. "Since he did absolutely nothing to stop her from getting away."

Joel gritted his teeth. "My orders are to guard Ella not keep track of her blood sucking sibling..." He paused a moment and sighed. "I do know where she is... but you aren't going to like it, Dean..." He hesitated, turning his attention to the elder Winchester. "She's... with Allastair..."


	40. The Damage Is Done

"What's going on?" Ella mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she woke up.

"Your sis has pulled a Houdini on us, that's what's going on," Dean replied.

Sam's brows furrowed and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was more awake now. Glancing to Ella, he shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Do you have any idea where she went?" He said, looking between Dean and Bobby.

"We were hoping the JoBro wanna-be here could give us an idea." Bobby said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he looked at Joel. "Since he did absolutely nothing to stop her from getting away."

Joel gritted his teeth. "My orders are to guard Ella not keep track of her blood sucking sibling..." He paused a moment and sighed. "I do know where she is... but you aren't going to like it, Dean..." He hesitated, turning his attention to the elder Winchester. "She's... with Allastair..."

_xx_

Dean's eyes widened a bit and then the room was silent. That is until Ella spoke up. "Who's... Allastair?"

"Allastair is a very powerful demon. He in charge of torturing the souls in Hell," He said, glancing to Ella then turning back to Dean. "He tortured Dean for thirty years while he was in Hell. Yeah, I know it was only a few months here, but there's a time difference. Kind of like how it's already tomorrow in Australia." Joel said with a little nod.

Dean gritted his teeth. "I guess it's time for a little reunion party. Where are they, and why is Oshea with him?"

"Dean," Sam said, looking at his brother, his brows furrowed. "You were tortured? For thirty years? I thought you told me that you didn't remember anything about your time there..."

"It's Hell, Sam, what did you expect? Pony rides and face painting?" Joel said, arching a brow. "You can discuss this later." He turned back to Dean. "They're a few miles northwest from here in Aberdeen in a farmhouse near the outskirts of the city." He shook his head. "She's there because he's feeding her addiction. Her regular supplier apparently went AWOL and Allastair found her and offered her a fix... for a price of course." He added darkly, frowning,

"Joel's right. We can chat about this later. Get to packing, we're leaving in ten." Dean said lowly, quickly departing from the room.

_xx_

_ABERDEEN, SOUTH DAKOTA_

_xx_

Oshea moved down the stairs, wearing a black button down shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She padded barefoot into the den and moved to the couch where he sat. "Alright...," She said quietly. "I've done what you asked... may I please have some blood?"

"Well, I guess you've earned it," He said, grinning a bit and held out his bare arm. He leaned over and pulled a blade out of the end table next to him and slid it across his arm. Oshea lowered herself onto his lap an took his arm, bringing it to her lips and closing her eyes as she began to drink the blood.

Dean burst in through the door, closely followed by Ella and Sam. Dean's eyes widened a little at the scene in front of them. Allastair chuckled, shaking his head. "Dean, you really shouldn't have done that." As soon as the words left his lips, three men, their eyes black, appeared behind Sam, Dean, and Ella, blocking the exit.

Oshea lifted her head, licking the blood from her lips. She turned toward the door, her eyes widening. "Dean?" Sam glanced back over his shoulder at the demons that had appeared behind them and narrowed his eyes, raising his weapon.

"Let her go," Ella threatened, clutching the demon-killing knife's handle tightly in her hand.

Allastair shrugged, throwing both arms in the air. "Hey, be my guest. Her job's already done, she got you guys here, didn't she?" He grinned.

Oshea lifted her head, blood smeared around her lips. She was panting softly. Her brows furrowed as she saw the others and she stood up from his lap. "Dean... I'm so sorry." She said quietly, brushing the blood from her mouth. "I was just going to come and get enough to make the pain stop... then I was going to come back I didn't want to cause this... he wouldn't let me leave..."

Ella backed up a little uneasily, accidentally bumping into one of the demons behind them. The demon grinned a little, jerking her roughly by her arm. "Get rid of the others," Allastair said, nodding toward Sam and Dean and Oshea. "All we need is the girl that's in tune with angel radio." The two surrounding demons nodded, pulling out large blades from inside their suits.

Sam moved to help Ella, but was immediately flung backwards by a wave of one of the demon's hands. He slammed against the wall and dropped to the floor as a cloud of dust spread out around him. Ella suddenly found herself released as the demon that had been holding her was violently flung upward through the ceiling of the room into the next story. "Are you alright, Ella?" Joel stood where the demon had, one of his hands touching her arm where the demon had grabbed her.

Ella jerked her arm away from him. "I'm fine, I'm fine," She muttered. She looked up at her sister as she slowly stood up.

Joel pulled his hand away with a soft sigh, "Ella, I need to get you out of here. This is dangerous." Oshea looked at her sister, swallowing hard as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Ella... I'm sorry..."

Ella shook her head at Joel. "I'm not leaving without my sister, and Sam and Dean."

Joel gritted his teeth. "It's not them I'm protecting." He said, curling one arm around her waist and pulling her close before he pressed two fingers to her forehead. The two of them vanished immediately.

Oshea's eyes widened and she turned toward Allastair, backing away from him and stretching out her arm. "I'm going to send you back to Hell."

As soon as the words left her lips, Allastair simply smiled and shook his head. "Sorry doll, gotta split. But you'll be seeing me soon, don't you worry." He looked over at Dean. "Really nice seeing you again," he said, and then black smoke erupted from his mouth and flew around the room until it broke through the glass of one of the windows and disappeared out of sight. Oshea narrowed her eyes and turned to the other two demons. She concentrated on them and the two began to choke on the black smoke. The smoke pooled in the floor and burned away. The two men collapsed to the floor, groaning. Oshea staggered and sank down to her knees, blood ran down over her lips from her nose.

Dean walked over to Oshea and started to help her up. "Grab her other arm, we need to get her back to Bobby's," he said to Sam. "I'm guessing that's where he brought Ella back to."

Sam nodded and walked to Oshea, taking her other arm and helping her to her feet. Oshea looked about the room searchingly. "Where is Ella? Who was that boy with her?"

Sam looked down at her. "That was Joel, her guardian angel."

"Yeah, remind me to thank him later for just leaving the rest of us in a room full of demons," Dean said with a scoff.

"Will do," Sam said with a curt nod as the two took Oshea out to the Impala. Oshea settled into the back of the Impala with a sigh, bringing a hand to her head and closing her eyes as Sam climbed into the passenger seat. Dean slid behind the wheel of the Impala and put the car in reverse, backing out of the driveway before returning it to drive and speeding down the dusty back road towards Bobby's.

As they drove, Oshea fell very quiet and slumped, collapsing across the backseat in a deep sleep. Sam sighed as he looked over to Dean, "What are we going to do about Oshea, Dean? Lock her up again when we get back?"

Dean was quiet for a moment as he glanced back at Oshea. "I don't know. It didn't really seem to be helping, did it?" He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what to do, honestly."

"No, it didn't seem to be helping at all." Sam said with a sigh. "Maybe we should just go back to doing jobs like normal. We'll just keep an eye on her." He paused a moment then glanced to Dean. "But... you know, Dean, she was right about one thing. I mean, did you see the way she took out those demons? Maybe this isn't such a terrible thing... I mean... we have to pick our battles. Do we fight something that could help us? Something that could help people?"

Dean shook his head and sighed loudly. "Sam, you know what she's doing isn't right. It's demon blood, Sam, it's not human. If she keeps this up, that's what it's going to take away. Her humanity."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said, looking down. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, locking her up isn't going to solve anything. I say we go about business as usual and just keep her on a short leash for now. We can have Joel keep an eye on her since he's going to be guarding Ella anyway."

Dean laughed humorlessly. "The angels want Oshea dead, do you really think we can trust him to protect her? He has to follow orders, right, like Cas had to answer to his superiors? Well what if one of those orders is for Joel to kill Oshea? He'd do it and not think twice."

"You don't know that, Dean," Sam said with a frown, looking away. "I like to think that the angels are on our side... maybe we can reason with them... get them to give Oshea a break, you know?" He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's too much to hope that we'd have someone completely on our side."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Reason with them? You're kidding me, right? There is no reasoning with these guys. They're angels, Sam, they could really care less what we want," He said, shaking his head. "I say the less we're involved with them, the better."

"Castiel isn't like that," Sam said, looking toward his elder brother. "He went against his orders and saved Oshea's life."

"Yeah, I know," He said, returning his eyes to the road. "Speaking of Cas, he needs to get back from wherever they sent him."

"I know," Sam faced the road, his brows furrowing. "I'm getting a little worried about him."

"You have no reason to be concerned for me." The voice came from the back of the car, where Castiel had materialized, Oshea leaned against him, still sleeping.

Dean cursed loudly as the Impala swerved on the dark back road. He regained control of the vehicle and glared at the trench coat clad man in the rearview mirror. "Are you trying to kill us all, Cas?"

Castiel inclined his head and furrowed his brows. "No, I am not." Sam brought a hand to his chest and took in a deep breath to calm himself.

"Are you alright, Cas? You were gone for a long time."

The angel nodded slowly. "I am fine."

Dean arched a brow, glancing back at him for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "So from the almost heart attacks and possible near car accident you caused, I take it you got your angel mojo back?"

Castiel nodded, glancing down at Oshea, who was sleeping against his shoulder. "Dean, there is something you should know. The angels are coming for Oshea. They have decided that her being here is too dangerous for Ella. After what happened with Alastair."

"They're coming for her? As in they're going to kill her?" Dean cursed under his breath and he pressed his foot down harder on the gas pedel.

Castiel looked up at him in the rearview mirror and nodded again. "They will be here soon. Dean there is nothing I can do to help her." He said slowly.

Dean gritted his teeth and glared at the road ahead of him. "Well we can't just sit around and wait for them to kill her, now can we?"

Castiel shook his head. "Dean, -I- can't help her... but you realize that if there is any sort of danger to Ella, Joel will have to step in. Do you understand?"

"Over my dead body," Dean muttered.


	41. Where Do We Go From Here

They finally reached Bobby's house, and Dean picked the sleeping Oshea up out of the backseat and carried her inside. He hesitated at the basement door, but decided against sticking her back in the panic room for the time being. He carried her upstairs and laid her down on the queen sized bed in one of Bobby's spare bedrooms, and then walked back downstairs to join the others in the living room.

Bobby looked up at Dean as he came back downstairs. "What is going on, Dean?" he asked. Joel looked up at Castiel when the other angel stepped inside and he frowned slightly. "You told them?" Castiel nodded, "Yes I did." Joel sighed and rubbed his eyes slightly as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in. "We don't have much time."

"What are you talking about?" Ella said, looking at Castiel and then at Joel.

Joel looked to Ella with a sigh. "The angels are coming to kill your sister, Ella." he said very quietly. "They see her as a danger to you.. after what happened with Alastair."

Ella's eyes widened. "You think my sister is a danger to me? She- What happened with Allastair wasn't her fault, she was tricked," she sighed. "You know none of us approve of this whole demon blood thing, but killing her isn't the answer... and it's not an option. She can get better- She will get better."

Joel nodded. "I don't think she is a danger to you, but the other angels do. Zachariah is coming for her. We don't have much time, Ella. They'll take her away and they will kill her. And they will be sure that no angel or demon will be able to bring her back when they are done." Oshea walked down the stairs slowly, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

Ella's eyes widened, remembering the four headed and six winged angel that terrified her down to her very core. "Zachariah?"

Oshea's brows furrowed as she moved to her sister's side. "Zachariah? That angel that came to you before at the restaurant?" Joel nodded to Ella then stiffened. "He's coming."

Ella looked up at Sam, her eyes filled with dread and fear. "This isn't good." She looked over at Joel. "We can't let him take her."

Sam took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Dean. "Dean, what are we going to do?" Oshea's eyes grew wide. "Take me? What do you mean 'take me?'" Joel sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing them a little. "Okay... I need a knife."

Ella pulled the knife out of her back pocket, hesitating a moment before handing it to Joel. Joel took the knife and pressed it to his palm. He curled his fingers around the blade and pressed it down into his skin, cutting a deep groove into the palm of his hand. He pulled the knife away and gave it to Castiel, watching his blood ooze down his hand. Castiel did the same thing and the both of them stepped away. Joel went to one of the walls and began to smear his blood against it, drawing a circle and some symbols inside of it. As Castiel began to do the same thing on the opposite wall, four figures appeared in the room. Three were men dressed in dark suits the last was an older, balding man wearing a matching suit. He grinned. "Hello, Ella. I told you that we would be keeping in touch." His attention turned to Oshea. "And this is your sister? It's very nice to meet you."

Dean looked Zachariah up and down and arched a brow. "You're Zachariah? Gotta say, I'm not impressed. Ella described you a bit... differently."

"Well, I am much more impressive in my true form, but if I had come that way, your little eyeballs would have been melted from their sockets and your eardrums would have burst at the sound of my voice." He said with a little smile. "Now, Oshea, dear. I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."

"If you want my sister, you're going to have to go through us, first," Ella said, clenching her jaw as she looked at him.

Zachariah gave a small smile, shaking his head. "Actually, no I won't. We just need her dead. I'd prefer you not have to see it, but if you won't allow me to take her." He snapped his fingers and Oshea's eyes widened. She grunted softly and sank down to her knees, clutching her stomach as blood began to pour from her lips.

"Let her go!" Ella cried out.

Joel had just finished drawing the symbols on the wall. Zachariah looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. "Joel... what are you-" Just before he finished, Joel pressed his injured hand to the symbols. Zachariah immediately cried out and there was a bright blue light as he disappeared. Castiel pressed his hand to the symbol he had drawn and the rest of the men vanished as well. Oshea gasped sharply and fell onto floor, panting heavily.

Ella quickly appeared by her sister's side, putting a hand on her back. "Are you okay?" She asked her a little quietly.

Oshea brushed the blood from her lips and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I'm okay now." She said, sitting up. Joel walked over to her.

"There's something I can do to help." He stretched out his hands and touched Ella and Oshea's sides. Oshea grunted and gasped sharply, jerking backwards and holding her midsection.

Ella did the same, and looked up at Joel. "What did you just do to us?"

"I branded your ribs with the Echonian Sigil," Joel said. "That will hide you from every angel on creation. Even me."

Ella arched a brow, the pain finally fading. "Why... would you do that? You know the angels are going to be super pissed, at both of you."

Joel smiled a little at her, "I know. It doesn't matter much to me though. I care about you, Ella. I consider you a dear friend. The others, too. Even though you all don't seem to like me very much."

A faint smile appeared across Ella's face. Dean cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room. "I- uh... "

Joel chuckled a little and shook his head. "Don't mention it." He grew serious as he looked at Castiel then back to Dean. "You guys need to get out of here though before they decide to come back. Where do you want to go? I can teleport Ella and Oshea there and you guys can follow."

Bobby was thoughtful a moment. "Well, there's a vampire's nest in Mukilteo, Washington. You could kill two birds with one stone. Get away from the angels and get rid of some vampires."

"That sounds perfect," Ella said with a nod, looking over at Joel.


	42. On The Head Of A Pin

Every car in the lot was shrieking. Their lights were flashing and their alarms were blaring. Castiel stepped between the vehicles, laying his hand gently on the hood of an overturned car. The lights and alarms immediately fell still, and the angel drifted silently between them until he reached the body of a lovely female clothed in a white dress. His brows furrowed faintly and he knelt down. "Goodbye, sister..." He whispered sadly, turning to look over his shoulder as he heard the sound of police sirens wailing in the night. Slowly, he stood up and disappeared.

xx

_MUKILETO, WASHINGTON_

_xx_

It was exactly 2:22 AM when Dean's eyes immediately shot open and he found Uriel standing over the edge of the bed, a disgusted expression on his face as he stepped away from the bed and walked to the center of the room. "Hello, Joel. Castiel." He said with no emotion in his voice to both of them with a nod.

Joel looked up from where he had been sitting at the end of Ella's bed. He stood up slowly, and Castiel, who had been sitting in a chair across from him did the same. Joel lowered his eyes, not meeting Uriel's gaze. "Hello, sir." He said quietly.

"I'm sure you are aware of the recent killings of our brothers and sisters," He said, looking at Joel and then Castiel.

"Yes," Castiel said, stepping up to stand beside of Joel. "I found one of our sisters slaughtered just the other night." Joel glanced up at Uriel with a frown. "Do you have any idea who is doing this?"

"Demons," He replied. "We don't know how they're doing it, but we have Allastair."

"Well, there you go, he should be able to name your triggerman," Dean said with a shrug.

"How are you going to get him to talk?" Joel asked with a frown. "He's not just going to tell you who is killing our brothers and sisters."

"Yeah, he's like a blackbelt in torture, you guys are way out of your league," Dean said with a scoff.

"That's why we've come to his student," Uriel said, not taking his eyes off Dean. "You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

"Dean, would you?" Castiel said, looking to him and stepping toward him. "I know it is a lot to ask of you, but our brothers and sisters are dying."

Dean's eyes were staring down at the ground, and he rose them slowly to look at Castiel. "No. You can't ask me to do this, Cas, not this."

"Who said _anything,_" Uriel said, stepping forward until he was right in front of Dean's face. "About asking?"

_xx_

Joel and Castiel appeared simultaneously inside of a large warehouse. Just in front of them was a heavy metal door with a small window where they could see Allastair chained to a massive, metallic Star of David. Dean found himself standing behind Joel and Castiel. He glared at Uriel, who was standing to the side with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black suit pants.

Castiel frowned, his brows furrowing as he looked from Dean to Uriel. "We can't ask him to do this, Uriel..."

Uriel shook his head. "You said so yourself, Castiel, our brothers and sisters are dying. Dean must do this."

Dean stared through the glass window at Allastair. "If you make me do this, if you make me go in there. You're not going to like what comes back out."

Castiel looked from Uriel to Dean. "I am sorry about this." He said quietly.

Joel looked to Uriel for a moment then took a step toward Dean. "Dean, you don't have to do this." he said quickly, though he knew he would get in a lot of trouble for this. "You could walk away. I could take you back."

"Joel, we have to talk. Alone." Uriel said, his face just as expressionless as always. "Dean, go now, before I rethink letting your inhuman disease of a girlfriend live."

Without a word, Dean pulled open the door, pushing a rusty metal cart through the doorway. The sound of creaking wheels scraping against the cement floor was heard, followed by the echo of the door slamming closed behind him.

Joel stiffened slightly, lowering his eyes and clenching his jaw slightly as he heard the door slam. He glanced to Castiel. "Will you please go and keep an eye on Ella?" He whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to her while I'm here." Castiel nodded and immediately vanished. Joel turned to Uriel. "I must ask you to hurry this up. I have an obligation to keep Ella safe and I can't do that when I'm here."

"Joel, I have the mind to turn you right over to my superiors this very moment. And although I'm sure Zachariah would smile at the thought of spending some time with you, I will try my best for the next few minutes to ignore the fact that you've disobeyed direct orders," Uriel said, circling around where Joel stood.

Joel kept facing straight ahead, narrowing his eyes faintly. "Do what you wish to me," He said quietly. "But I have done my job. I have protected Ella. You realize that if you had harmed her sister she might have done something drastic such as seek the help of the demons, and I am sure that our superiors do not want that to happen."

Uriel lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Well, if you're doing your job as well as you say you are, I'm sure you would have found a way to prevent her from doing anything drastic."

"Uriel, I must admit that I am having a hard time believing that these orders are coming from our superiors. Having Dean torture Allastair? Wanting to kill Ella's sister because of one mistake? That can't be God's will. Our Father is a God of mercy... forgiveness...Maybe there is something wrong...," He said with a little sigh after a moment's hesitation.

"Our father left us a long time ago," Uriel said quickly, bitterly. "Don't you see that? How could you be so blind. He doesn't care what we do anymore, I am proof of that."

Joel's brows furrowed as he listened to Uriel. "How could you say that? What are you talking about?" He whispered.

"He stopped being our father, if he ever was, the moment he created them. Humanity. His favorites. Swining, puking larva," he snarled. "I want you to join me, Joel. With you, we can be powerful enough to..."

Joel's calm expression became one of horror as he stared in disbelief at Uriel, his mouth hanging slightly open. He narrowed his eyes. "Don't even speak it!" He snapped, jabbing his finger toward Uriel.

"What you are talking about... it's -rebellion-, Uriel." He hissed the last word as if afraid to speak it too loudly.

"I'm talking about raising our brother, Joel," He said with a nod. "Lucifer.." He sighed, pacing around the room slowly. "You're young, you may not remember him. How strong he was... beautiful. And he didn't bow to humanity. And he was punished for defending us. If you want to believe in something, Joel, believe in him."

Joel stiffened, "I remember enough." He said between gritted teeth. "I will never believe in him. I still serve our Father, and I will continue to do so."

"So you will not join me?"

"I would rather die," Joel said firmly, clenching his fists at his sides.

"As you wish," Uriel said with a shrug, standing behind him, before letting a silver archangel's sword slide out of his sleeve into the palm of his hand. He thrust the weapon into the back of the young angel's throat, twisting it.

Joel's eyes widened as the blade pierced his throat and his mouth fell open. He whimpered weakly, his brows furrowing as he looked at Uriel. His eyes fell blank and he gave a little cough. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he cried out, a bright light bursting from his eyes and mouth and filling the room. The young boy's body collapsed onto the ground, his black wings spread out beneath him on the floor of the building.


	43. Sweet Black Angel

Ella was sitting by Oshea's bed in the hotel room, when Castiel suddenly appeared without warning, nearly causing her to fall out of the chair. "I did not mean to startle you, Ella." Castiel said quietly, his expression unreadable. Oshea sat up from the bed, turning toward the angel worriedly.

"Where is Dean?"

"He is safe. Do not worry," Castiel replied with a slow nod.

"This is taking a long time, when is he coming back?" Ella asked him.

"He will be back soon. He is doing a favor for the angels." Castiel explained. Oshea furrowed her brows.

"Why would he do something like that? Last time I checked they weren't exactly our biggest fans."

"That is not necessarily true. They are not fond of -you-." Castiel said with a small frown.

"We need to go get him. Something about this just doesn't feel right." Ella said with a worried frown.

Castiel hesitated only a moment before nodding. "I can take you to him." Sam came in through the door and started to speak before he saw Castiel.

"Cas, where is Dean?"

Castiel looked over his shoulder to him. "He is safe. I will take you all to him." He placed two fingers on Ella and Oshea's foreheads and they immediately vanished. He then turned to Sam and did the same thing, this time, though, Castiel disappeared with him.

The four of them appeared outside the door of the room Dean and Allastair were in. After taking a moment to see where she was, Ella peered into the small window and gasped. "Oh my god..." She pushed the door open and saw Dean being beaten to a bloody pulp by an older man. Allastair's new vessel.

Castiel's eyes widened as he moved passed her into the room, looking back at her briefly. "Go and find Joel and stay with him," He said to them as he rushed into the room, curling his fingers into a fist and punching Allastair in the face.

Allastair stumbled back for a moment, but quickly regained his balance. He effortlessly swung his fist, sending Castiel flying backwards into the room He moved back to Dean, wrapping a hand around his neck and brutally punching him with the other fist.

Ella's feet seemed to be glued to the cement floor as she watched the fight, but she forced herself to run from the room, calling out Joel's name.

Castiel crashed against the wall, scattering debris onto the floor. Pushing himself up and brushing the dust from his trench coat, he strode purposefully over to Allastair, striking him violently again. When he dropped Dean and turned toward Castiel, the angel scooped up a knife from the table of torture implements. He reared back and stabbed him in the chest.

Sam rushed away with Ella, his brows furrowing as Joel did not answer her. "I don't like this," he said lowly. He came to an abrupt stop however, when they came across a body laying limply on the floor.

Ella let out a quiet gasp as she looked down at the empty, dead vessel laying on the ground. She and Sam exchanged glances and then ran back to the room the others were in. "He's dead!"

When they stepped back into the room, they found Castiel standing off to one side, his face and clothing bloodied. Oshea was standing in the room, one hand stretched toward Allastair, who was pinned to the wall. Castiel looked to Sam and Ella as they spoke and his brows furrowed. "Joel is dead?" Oshea narrowed her eyes at Allastair.

"Who is killing the angels?"

Allastair chuckled. "You think I'm going to tell you?"

"Yeah, I really think you will," Oshea said, narrowing her eyes as she curled her fingers inward as she concentrated harder.

Allastair's eyes rolled back, turning white as he started making choking noises. "I.. don't… know," he gasped.

"Fine, then you are of no further use to us." Oshea said with a little smirk. "I learned a new trick, Allastair. I can do more than just send you to Hell. Now I can kill."

"I said I don't… know!" He choked out again, his eyes switching back and forth between white and normal. "It's not us!"

Oshea nodded, "Fine then. I'm still going to kill you and enjoy every minute of it." She said with a tiny smile.

"It's not.. us!" He said again, gasping for air. "The demons are.. not doing it!"

Oshea concentrated harder. "Still going to kill you," She said lowly.

"The demons… are not behind this!" He said, gritting his teeth.

Oshea relaxed her hand and let it fall to her side, panting slightly.

"We wouldn't kill seven angels…" he said with a biter chuckle. "We'd kill a hundred… a thousand." He grinned widely, shaking his head.

Oshea narrowed her eyes. "You won't get the chance." She said, lifting her hand again and clenching her fist tightly.

His eyes rolled back quickly, immediately turning white and growing wide as he cried out, a bright light lit up his body. When it stopped, his eyes returned to normal, and he slid limply down the brick wall. Oshea let her hand fall to her side again and panted heavily. Castiel lifted a hand, brushing a little blood from his face as he stepped passed Ella and Sam. "Stay here… I need to find Uriel." He said quietly.

Oshea walked over to Dean, kneeling down beside of him.

"I'll be right back," Ella said to them, starting to walk from the room. Sam looked up and shook his head.

"Ella, Castiel said to stay here, if Joel is dead then you're unprotected."

"I'll be fine, Sam. Just help Oshea get Dean out of here. He needs a hospital," She said, nodding over at Dean before she quickly departed from the room. Sam watched her a moment before sighing and turning to Dean. He leaned down and pulled one of Dean's arms around his shoulders, helping him to his feet.

"Oshea, call an ambulance."

Oshea nodded, pulling out her cell phone and dialing the number as they stepped from the building.

Castiel paced slowly in the small room. "Uriel… Uriel I need to speak with you."

Uriel appeared behind Castiel. "Yes, Castiel?"

Castiel turned and looked to him. "Uriel…," He began slowly. "I made that Devil's Trap myself. There is no way that Allastair could have broken free from it."

"Allastair was simply more powerful than we imagined," Uriel said with a shrug.

"Joel is dead, Uriel…," He said quietly. "Could you explain to me how Allastair or any other demon could have killed him without us knowing?"

Uriel sighed. "You want to know the truth?" He said, beginning to pace around him.

Castiel looked up at him. "Yes."

Uriel nodded. "The truth," he stopped pacing and stood in front of Castiel. "is that only angels, can kill other angels," as the words left his lips, the silver archangel sword slid from the arm of his suit and fell into his palm.

Castiel remained expressionless as he saw the blade glistening in Uriel's hand. "It was you," He said quietly. "You killed him... did you kill the others as well?" He looked up from the weapon and stared at Uriel. "Why, brother?"

"I only killed the ones that said no to joining me, which I hope you will. We have known each other a very long time," Uriel replied.

"Joining you?" Castiel said with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"To raise our brother, Castiel. This cannot continue any longer, these orders from an unknowable god... we have to take action."

Castiel's eyes widened. "How could you say that? What you're speaking of... its treason, Uriel..."

"Call it what you want, Castiel. I have no other choice, I will not stand here any longer and answer to them. So will you join me? Will you be unafraid, and help me raise our brother?"

"For the first time... in a long time... I am unafraid." Castiel said. He looked into his brother's eyes, searching them a moment before his expression hardened. He shifted, rearing back and punching Uriel square in the face.

Uriel quickly responded by returning the punch. The punch took Castiel by surprise and Uriel continued to pound him in the face until blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. "There is no will, no wrath. No God," Uriel said with a shake of his head, before gasping as a silver blade was rammed through the back of his throat.

"Maybe, maybe not," Ella said, and then pulled the weapon from his throat. A bright light lit up the room before fading quickly as Uriel fell to the ground, a pair of black wings appearing on the concrete floor under him.

Castiel panted softly, staring weakly at his brother's body for a moment. He rose to his feet, glancing to Ella. "Thank you," He whispered. He looked down at Uriel's vessel's lifeless form then glanced toward Joel's body, shaking his head sadly. "You might do well to keep that," He said, gesturing toward the angelic blade. "Come... lets go join the others."

"No problem," Ella replied, and nodded, following Castiel out of the building. "They went to the hospital, we'd better meet them there."

Castiel and Ella appeared in the quiet, sterile hallway of the hospital. Castiel's coat fluttered out behind him as he walked with Ella to the room he knew was Dean's. He paused, staring into the glass window that looked into the room. Oshea was sitting beside Dean's bed in a chair, holding onto his hand and speaking quietly to him. Sam was standing at the other end of the room, his eyes faintly narrowed. He looked up and his face grew dark as he saw Castiel. He strode from the room and grabbed the collar of Castiel's suit, shoving him violently against the wall. Castiel did not flinch, and Sam growled. "You get in there and fix him... NOW. It's your fault that he's in there you and the rest of your kind. Why is it that we have to clean up all of your messes? Fix up all your problems? You're angels! We're not as indestructible as you. He could have DIED!"

Ella grabbed Sam's arm and tugged, trying to pull him back. "Let go of him, Sam! It isn't his fault, he had nothing to do with this. Uriel broke the Devil's Trap, he's been against us the whole time. He let Allastair out, he killed Joel, and he would have killed Castiel if I hadn't stopped him."

Sam glanced to Ella with a little frown then looked back to Castiel, releasing him slowly. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Please, Cas... can you help him...?"

Castiel shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Sam looked up at him, shaking his head. "Some angel..." He grumbled under his breath, shoving the door to the room back open and letting it close behind him.

Ella sighed and turned back to Cas to say something, but the space where he had been standing was empty. She shook her head, running a hand through her hair as she walked to the vending and coffee machines.


	44. Stranger Than Fiction

_SEVERAL WEEKS LATER_

_KRIPKE'S HOLLOW_

There was a soft electronic ding as the door was pushed inward and the four people stepped into the shop. Sam was wearing a long dark trench coat over a suit with a striped tie. His eyes traveled around the comic book store. There were a few scattered young men wearing superhero shirts flipping through comics. One was a tall, slender young man with short dark hair wearing a Flash logo shirt and jeans. He was standing with a shorter young man with brown, slightly messy hair and glasses who was wearing a hoodie with a grey coat over it and jeans. Oshea stepped in after Dean, wearing a charcoal suit jacket over a red button down shirt that was tucked into a knee length, straight skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Her heels clicked against the hard floor as she stepped forward with her sister and the two brothers to the counter where a short, balding man was flipping through a comic book.

"Can I help you?" The male said, arching a brow.

Oshea nodded, "I sure hope so." She said with a smile, pulling out a badge. "Agents Rudd and Williams," She said nodding her head toward her sister. "And these are our partners Agents DeYoung and Shaw."

Ella, who was wearing a button down white shirt tucked into a straight black skirt, nodded, pulling out her badge as well. Sam and Dean did the same. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Alright...," The man said, arching a brow curiously.

"Have you noticed anything strange?" Sam said slowly.

"Like...?" The guy asked.

"We've heard reports of flickering lights...?" Oshea offered. "Skittering sounds like mice, maybe?"

"The FBI is investigating a... rodent problem?" The guy looked unconvinced, arching a brow and leaning back in his chair.

"How about cold spots, sudden drops in temperature, that sort of thing?" Ella said, ignoring the man's question.

The man suddenly smiled and nodded, pointing at them. "I knew it! You guys are LARPing aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" Sam said, his brows furrowing.

"You're fans!"

"Fans of what?" Oshea said immediately.

"What is LARPing?" Sam said again.

"Like you don't know...," The man paused, looking at them then explained. "Live action role-playing! And pretty hardcore, too! Wow..." He said, stepping from behind the counter and walking toward Oshea. He reached up and touched her cheek. "Are those real freckles?"

Oshea swatted his hand away. "...Yes...?"

"Wow... this is great," He leaned toward her face very close. "You even have the scars on your eyes!"

Oshea backed into Dean, her eyes wide. "Okay I'm... officially freaked out..."

Dean arched a brow. "Fans of what?" Dean said, repeating Oshea's question.

"Well, you're asking questions like the building's haunted like those guys from the books. What are they called... uh... Supernatural! Two guys and two girls using fake IDs with rock aliases, going around hunting down ghosts and demons and monsters. What are their names?" He snapped his fingers as he tried to remember. "Steve and Dirk?... uh... Sal and Dane...?"

"Sam and Dean...?" Sam offered, glancing toward his brother.

The man nodded. "Yeah that's it! And lets see the girls were Ella and Oshea, I remember that." He grinned wolfishly. "Oshea was always my favorite... I think it's so cute that little birthmark she has on her-"

"Okay that's enough," Oshea said quickly.

Dean glared a little at the man as Ella cleared her throat. "So this is a book?"

"Books. It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies though. Here," He said, walking around them and going to the Bargain Bin, pulling out a small paperback with two shirtless, very muscular guys on the front. "Here, this is the first one."

Ella's eyes widened as she took the book from him and looked at the cover. She turned the book over and read from the back. "Supernatural by Carver Edlund... Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths..."

Sam looked up at the cashier, "We're going to need every Supernatural book that you've got."

_xx_

"This is _insane,_" Ella said as she threw down a copy of one of the Supernatural books onto the bed. "How could this guy possibly know all of this stuff about our lives?"

Dean shook his head, not glancing up from the book he was flipping through. "Every single thing is in here, from the racist truck to me having sex. I'm full frontal in here, dude."

Oshea arched a brow, laying down the book she had been skimming through. "Excuse me?" She walked over to him and snatched the book from his head, reading a little before she closed it and lightly struck Dean on the head with it.

"It gets weirder… this last one _No Rest for the Wicked_, ends with you going to Hell, Dean." Sam said, looking up from his laptop where he had been researching.

Ella sat down in the seat next to Sam, and pulled the laptop over to her and looked at the screen. "Look at this," she said, gesturing to Oshea and Dean. "There are fans. Not many, but still.."

Oshea shook her head as she picked up one of the books. "I've never even heard of these…"

"Well they didn't circulate much…" Sam said, glancing over to her before looking back to the laptop.

"Look at this. There are Sam girls and Dean girls and- what's a slash fan?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked over Ella's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Uh… it appears that it means us, Dean. Like… _together_," Sam said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"You mean together together?" Ella said, her eyes widening a bit. "They _do _know you're brothers, right?"

"That doesn't seem to matter," Sam said, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh come on, that's just sick," Dean said with an eye roll as he turned away from the computer and walked back to his bed. "Where does this guy live? I say we pay him a visit and have a little chat."

Sam tapped a few keys on the keyboard, quickly closing out the fansites he had stumbled upon. "Well, Carver Edlund is just a pen name and they don't have the guy's real name. We don't have an address either."

"Well that makes sense if the fans are as crazy as they seem." Oshea said with a shrug.

"I do have the publisher's name and address? Maybe we can talk to them and get some information." Sam said, glancing to Dean.

Dean nodded. "Sounds good to me."


	45. Used To Bad News

Chuck Shurley yawned as he tapped the keys of his keyboard, watching the letters appear on the black page on the screen of his computer. His brown hair was messy, and his black rimmed glasses were sitting on the tip of his nose as he read over what he had typed. "_… soulful glances. Dean reached out and pressed the doorbell with determina-_" He paused as he heard his doorbell give a slightly crackling buzz. Standing from the chair, he pulled his blue, white and gold striped robe closed and moved to the door, pulling it open and peering through. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Chuck Shurley? The Chuck Shurley who wrote the Supernatural books?" Ella asked him.

Chuck tilted his head, looking her and the others over. "Maybe… who are you all?"

"I'm Ella, this is my sister Oshea. And that's Sam and Dean. The people you've been writing about," Ella replied.

Chuck stared a moment then gave a little smile as he backed away from the door and shut it. Oshea glanced to her sibling then stepped forward and pressed the doorbell again until Chuck pulled the door open again. He sighed, "Look, guys, I'm very flattered… by your enthusiasm and all. It's always nice to hear from a fan, but I strongly suggest you all get a life." He offered another little smile as he started to yet again close the door.

Dean placed his hand on the door, stopping him from closing it. "We have a life, you've been using it to write your books," He said as he started to step inside the home.

Chuck's eyes widened slightly and he stepped backwards a little clumsily. Sam followed Dean inside with Ella and Oshea close behind. "We just want to know how you're doing it."

"I'm not doing anything," Chuck said quickly, backing into his living room.

Oshea crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you a hunter?"

Chuck shook his head. "What…? No… I'm a writer!"

"Then how do you know so much about demons and toulpas and changelings?" She said, arching a brow. Chuck staggered back, stepping into his couch and falling onto it. He looked up at them and frown deeply.

"Is this some kind of _Misery_ thing?" He said weakly. "Oh it is isn't it? It's a _Misery _thing."

"No, it's not a _Misery_ thing, believe me, we are _not _fans," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Sam and he's Dean." Sam said slowly.

"And we're Oshea and Ella." Oshea added, gesturing toward herself and her sister.

Chuck shook his head. "They are fictional characters! I made them up! They are not real!"

Chuck blinked in surprise as he stared down into the trunk full of various guns and other weapons. It all looked so familiar, the car, the weapon's compartment. He swallowed and pointed down into the trunk, looking up at Dean. "Are those real guns?"

"Yep, and that's real rocksalt," Ella said.

"And those are real fake ID's," Dean continued, pointing at the box filled with various badges.

Chuck nodded, looking a little frightened as he gave the group a nervous smile. "I have to hand it to you all, you really are my number one fans… I think I have some posters in the house." He said, whirling and starting quickly back toward the ramshackle building.

"Wait," Ella said loudly, walking after Chuck. Sam quickly followed after her,

"Stop, Chuck!"

Chuck turned around and lifted up his hands in surrender. "Please don't hurt me…"

"How much do you know? Do you know about the angels, and the demons breaking the seals?" Ella asked. "About the angels killing each other?"

"How do you know all that?" He said with a frown, his brows furrowing.

"Question is how do _you_ know all of that?" Oshea said, moving to stand beside of Dean.

"Because I wrote it?"

"You kept writing?" Sam said, arching a brow.

Chuck nodded. "Yeah… I did, even after the publisher went bankrupt."

Dean sighed. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam. That's Oshea and Ella Blackwood."

Chuck looked between them in confusion. "Last names were never mentioned in the books… I never told… _anyone_ about that. I didn't even write that down…"

Dean leaned against the doorframe leading into Chuck's writing area, watching with slight amusement as Chuck was in the kitchen, turned with his back to the group as he downed another shot glass. Chuck closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose as he swallowed the burning liquid down and he released his breath out in a sigh, opening his eyes and turning around only to see the four of them still there. "Ah… you're still here. You're not a hallucination."

"Nope," Oshea said matter of factly.

Chuck nodded. "Well there is only one explanation. I'm obviously a god."

Dean scoffed. "You're _not_ a god."

"I write stuff down and it happens! I'm definitely a god." Chuck said, bobbing his head up and down. "I'm a god… a cruel, cruel capricious god." Chuck said with a tiny smile that immediately faded into an expression of horror. "The things I put you through… the things I put you through… the physical beatings alone… I killed your father… I burned your mothers alive… and your little brother… I had him drowned…" He glanced to Oshea and Ella then looked away. "You had to go through the whole… horrific deal again with Jessica and for what? The sake of literary symmetry… I toyed with your lives… your emotions…"

Ella rolled her eyes. "You didn't toy with us, you didn't create us, Chuck."

Chuck paused. "Did… you really have to live through the bugs?"

"Yes," Sam said quietly.

"And… the ghost ship?"

"Yes…"

Chuck shook his head. "I am… _so_ sorry… horror is one thing, but to have to live bad writing? If I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass…"

"You're _not_ a god," Ella said with a little groan of annoyance. "We just think you're psychic."

"If I was psychic do you think I would be writing?" He said, arching a brow as he looked at her.

"It seems somehow you focused on our lives… like _laser _focused," Dean said.

"Are you working on anything right now?" Ella said out of curiosity.

"Oh… holy crap," Chuck said, sinking down into the chair at his computer. He moved his glasses over and pulled out the printed pages of his newest work. "The next book… it's uh… kinda weird… I, you know, wrote myself into it, being confronted by my own characters…"


	46. Say It Isn't So

"I'm sitting in a Laundromat reading about myself sitting in a Laundromat reading about myself, my head hurts," Dean said with an annoyed sigh as he glanced up from the white printed off pages, looking over at Sam who was stuffing his clothes into one of the machines. Ella and Oshea were sitting up on top of one of the vacant washers, reading through a couple of Chuck's pages.

Oshea swung her legs back and forth a little as she leaned her elbows onto her knees, holding the pages in front of her and scanning them. She rolled her eyes. " 'Oh I'm a god,' " She mocked in a low tone. "I don't know, guys… this just seems too Twilight Zone… do you really think we can-"

" '_believe this guy?'_ Oshea said as she chewed on the tip of the nail of her index finger." Sam said, glancing up from the page he had been skimming while shoving the clothes in.

Oshea looked up and slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. "Don't do that…"

" 'Don't do that…' The redhead said, glaring at Sam as he tossed another pair of dark jeans into the machine,' " Ella said, and then put down the papers on the washer next to her. "I don't know how he's doing it, you guys, but he is."

Oshea turned to her sister with wide eyes.

"Stop that!"

" 'Stop that!' " Oshea and Sam said it at the same time and she shot him a fierce look before looking back down at the pages. Sam continued. "Oshea stared at the ink that stained the pure white, somewhat wrinkled page and thought back to the cashier at the comic book store. She could not stop the blush that darkened her cheeks as she realized that everyone who had read these books knew everything about her. Right down to her most private thoughts and fe-"

"Okay," Oshea said, slamming down the pages she was holding and standing up from the machine she had been sitting on. "That's it. I'm going to murder him."

"Oshea, wait." Sam said. "Look, I'm sorry… won't happen again. Dean," He looked over to his brother. "Why don't you go and talk to the guy while we finish up here? We'll keep reading and see if we can find out anything important."

Dean nodded and stood up from the small bench he had been sitting on, moving towards the door. "Ella, make sure the two of them don't try to kill each other, will ya?"

Ella shrugged. "I'll do my best."

_xx_

Chuck stepped into his house, carrying a brown paper bag and a six pack of canned drinks from the convenient store he had just raided. He passed through the living room and into his kitchen, putting the drinks into his old, humming refrigerator and leaving the bag on the counter. Walking back into the living room, he looked at Dean, who was sitting in one of his chairs. "Hi, Dean," He said weakly, keeping his eyes down. "Before you… before you say anything, there's something… well… something I kind of need to show you…"

"What?" Dean asked, arching a brow as he watched Chuck walk over to his desk.

Chuck gathered a few typed pages that had pen marks on them where he had crossed out words and changed them and scribbled in notes on the margins. "It's a little messy, but… read this." He said quietly, handing over the crinkled pages.

_…. Jonah patted the sheets that were dyed a sinful, blood red, his lips turning up into a smirk as he watched Oshea step closer. She was dressed in a silky black chemise that was bordered with lace and her red hair was falling over her shoulders in slightly messy waves. Unable to resist, Oshea succumbed and settled down onto his lap. His hands traveled up her bare thighs, pushing the hem of her garment upward. Somewhat roughly, he pushed her down onto the bed and they both sank into the throws of fiery demonic passion… _

_…Jonah slipped the knife from under the pillow and pressed the blade to his throat, opening the vein in his neck. He cupped his hand against the back of Oshea's head and held her face to his neck. At first, she squirmed, trying to resist the temptation. The cravings soon proved too much for her and she attached herself to his throat. As she relaxed and drank, the demon stroked her hair and ran his other hand down her bare back, smiling with satisfaction…_

After reading it, Dean looked up from the pages slowly, roughly folding them in half and holding them tightly. "When? When is this supposed to happen?"

Chuck shook his head slowly with a sigh. "I don't know, Dean… soon? I just… I thought you should know." He said, fiddling with the edge of the sleeve of his robe.

Dean stood up abruptly from the armchair and walked over to Chuck. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling us everything? Like how you know what you know, for starters?"

Chuck took a step backward. "I don't know how I know, I just do!" He said desperately.

"Well that's not good enough," he said, grabbing Chuck's jacket and pushing him against the wall. "How are you doing thi-"

Chuck gasped as he was roughly pushed against the wall and he lifted a hand to grab Dean's wrist, staring up at him with a frightened expression.

"Dean, let him go!" A commanding voice said from behind him. When he turned, he found Castiel standing behind him. "This man is to be protected…"

"Why?"

"He is a prophet of the Lord," Castiel said lowly.

Chuck stared in awe at the angel and whispered. "You… Castiel, isn't it?"

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck." Castiel responded as he walked toward one of the tables and picked up one of the books. "I admire your work."

"Now wait a second, this guy's a prophet?" Dean asked incredulously. "He's practically a Penthouse Forum writer," he said, rolling his eyes. He looked over to Chuck. "Did you know about this?"

"I… uh," He said as he unscrewed the cap of a bottle of alcohol. "I might have dreamt about it."

"And you didn't think it was important to tell us?"

"No it was too preposterous not to mention arrogant, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but writing yourself as a prophet? That's like M. Night level of douchey-ness." He said, keeping his eyes down as he sank down into his armchair with his alcohol.

Dean rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "This.. this is the guy who decides our fate? Well we're screwed…" he muttered.

"He's more of a mouthpiece. A conduit for the inspired Word," Castiel said as he read the pages of the book he had plucked off of the table.

"Word? Word of God?" Dean's eyes widened a little. "What, like a new new testament?"

Castiel closed the book and looked up at him. "One day… these books will come to be known as the Winchester Gospels."

Chuck sank down into the chair, clutching the bottle to his chest. "You've got to be kidding…"

"…kidding me," Dean said at the same time as Chuck.

Castiel looked at him with a serious expression, his brows furrowed. "I am not kidding you."

Chuck swallowed and hugged his alcohol to his chest as he stood up. "You both excuse me…" He said in a squeaky voice as he scuttled by them and scurried up the stairs, disappearing into another room.

"Him?" Dean said, arching a brow as he nodded towards Chuck as he disappeared up the stairs. "Really?"

"You should have seen Luke." Castiel said with a little shrug of his shoulders.

Dean raised his brows a little and then shook his head. "Whatever, how do we stop this?" He said, waving the folded papers in his hand. "This… fiery demonic passion between Oshea and… Jonah, by the way, who the hell is he, and where can I find him so I can tear him apart?" Dean said seriously, his voice raising a little.

"What the prophet has written cannot be unwritten," Castiel said looking up at him. "As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass." He paused a moment then continued. "Jonah found Oshea while you were in Hell, Dean. She was vulnerable and heartbroken and he offered her power… power to get back at the forces that had taken you from her. Not to mention, he offered her… as you so eloquently put it… fiery demonic passion." He made a little face. "She was lonely… desperate… he provides her with blood. He taught her how to use her powers…"

Dean clenched his jaw as he listened to Castiel, and after he finished speaking, Dean still remained silent. Castiel sighed. "There is something else you should know, Dean." He began, glancing toward the stairs that Chuck had traveled up just moments before. He lowered his eyes and looked to Dean again. "Prophets have an archangel tethered to them, for protection. Should anything… anything at all threaten the prophet in any way, the fiercest wrath of heaven would rain down upon the threat and annihilate it."

Dean nodded slowly. "So, what now, do we just tie Chuck up and stuff him in the trunk of the Impala and stick him in the same room as Jonah?"

"That would be kidnapping, Dean. Thereby making you a threat and the first target of the angel." Castiel said with a little shake of his head. "But it is something to keep in mind for when the opportunity presents itself."

Dean rolled his eyes. "So, there's really nothing else we can do here? We just wait until Chuck The Prophet has another nightmare?"

"Yes. There is nothing more for you here. I suggest you stay in contact with Chuck, his talents could prove very useful for you all. For now, you are needed elsewhere. There are still seals being broken, and we need your help."

Dean nodded a bit wearily. "Super."


	47. All I Can Do Is Write About It

"Well Chuck, it's been… interesting meeting you, to say the least," Ella said, as she and Oshea and Sam and Dean stood in Chuck Shurley's living room/office area once more.

"Just so you know, we'll be keeping in contact. So if I were you, I'd keep writing. You never know when we'll just randomly pop by," Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Chuck.

Chuck shifted uncomfortably, staring down at his feet. He gave a nervous, joyless chuckle. "Oh goody…" He said quietly.

As they left Chuck's home and piled into the Impala, Ella looked back at the house. "Poor guy, I kinda feel sorry for him."

"Why?" Oshea said, looking out of the window as the houses started to go by. "He just sits on his butt all day and writes… we're the ones who have to live it…"

Dean glanced back at Oshea in the backseat and then sighed, looking away from her. The images that Chuck had written were still fresh in his mind as they started down the highway.

_xx_

Chuck was laying under a pile of old tattered blankets on the couch, sleeping restlessly. He tossed and turned and some of the blankets slid off of him onto the floor as he groaned and panted heavily. Suddenly, he jerked awake and gave a tiny whimper, breathing heavily as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Did you see it?"

At the sound of the voice, the prophet lurched upward and whirled, pressing his back against the back cushion of the couch. He did not relax his stiff posture as he saw the older, balding man dressed in a neatly pressed suit standing in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I'm sure you know me from your writings," The man said with a small smile.

Chuck swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. "Zachariah…"

"Did you see it?"

Chuck nodded weakly and as he lowered his hand, he noticed them trembling. "Is it going to happen?"

"Have you ever been wrong before?" Zachariah countered, furrowing his brows slightly.

Chuck stood from the couch, letting the blankets fall away and pool in the floor at his feet. He started to step toward the kitchen. Zachariah shook his head. "I'll stop you if you try it." Chuck paused midstep and looked to him.

"But I have to warn them…"

"No. Just let things run their due course." Zachariah said, his eyes traveling over the home briefly.

Chuck swallowed, looking thoroughly miserable as he stepped by Zachariah.

"Where are you going?" The angel asked without turning to look at him.

"I'm going to kill myself," Chuck said weakly.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Chuck," Zachariah said, his voice sounding amused. "We would just bring you back to life."

Chuck froze and closed his eyes swallowing hard a moment to try to keep himself composed. He turned around to face the angel. "Then what should I do?"

"What you always do," Zachariah said. "Write."


	48. No Hiding Place

_TWO WEEKS LATER_

_PEORIA, ILLONIOS_

_Ella smiled a little as she wrapped one of her hands around the back of Sam's neck, pulling him closer to her as she pressed her lips to his. They fell back onto the silk sheets on the mattress as the kiss deepened. She giggled as she started to unbutton the top button of Sam's blue and white plaid shirt. She looked up at him, smiling, and then she screamed, pushing him off of her and jumping from the bed. "Zacharia? What the hell!"_

_Zachariah grinned as he curled his arms around her and deepened kiss. When she pulled away and jumped from the bed, he sat up slowly and watched her. "Sorry to interrupt… is this a bad time?" He asked with a soft chuckle. "I must say… Sam Winchester is a lucky, lucky little maggot."_

_Ella's eyes were wide as she backed away. She lifted a hand to her face and wiped at her mouth with the backside of her hand, trying to get the stench of old man off of her lips. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?" _

_"Yes," Zachariah said, stand up as he buttoned the front of his shirt. "We're inside your mind. I wanted to speak to you in private. Because of the untimely death of your previous guardian we are having make other arrangements. We are sending another angel to you."_

_"Another one of you guys? That's just fantastic. Don't bother, I can take care of myself. Now please leave, before I vomit," She said, crossing her arms over her chest protectively._

_"Sorry, darling," He said, walking toward her and brushing his knuckles down her left cheek, under her chin, and up her right cheek gently. "You don't have a choice in the matter. He's at your hotel now." He said, leaning forward and whispering it against her ear._

Ella's eyes shot open, only to find darkness. She moved her hand across the bed, finding Sam laying on his side next to her. She let out a sigh of relief. Just a dream, she thought, climbing out of bed and tip-toeing through the dark over to the nightstand, switching on the lamp.

"Hello, Ella," The voice came from a tall, thin young man sitting in the chair beside of the lamp. One of his legs was crossed over the other. He was wearing a neat black suit and his hair was black and slicked back. He had high cheekbones, thin cheeks and eyes so blue they were almost white. He tilted his head and looked toward her with a little smile. "Sleep well?"

Ella screamed, waking the others as she stumbled backwards. Dean immediately pulled out the knife that was hidden underneath his pillow, and turned over, jumping from the bed. Sam lurched up from his bed, "Ella?" He said quickly as he moved to her, curling his arm around her protectively as he looked at the young man. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Ezra," He said, standing. "I'm Ella's new guardian angel."

"Another one?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry buddy but the last guy who had your job, well, he's dead."

"Which is why I am here." Ezra said lowly.

Oshea was sitting up in the bed, staring wide eyed at the angel. Sam narrowed his eyes. "We don't need you, we can take care of her ourselves."

"Yes, you've done a wonderful job so far. You let her die once already. The next time you might not be able to find a demon that'll trade for you."

"So, this is it, huh? I just live the rest of my so called life being followed around by you guys? Is that it? If you die, they just replace you with another one, and so on?" Ella cursed loudly, kicking at the nightstand, instantly regretting the fact she wasn't wearing shoes. She clenched her jaw, trying to ignore the pain. "Get out, Ezra, or whatever your name is. You're services are not needed here," she said, gritting her teeth as she pointed to the door.

"Afraid I can't do that, Ella," Ezra said, clicking his tongue softly. "You're just going to have to get used to it."

Ella stormed from the room quickly, the sound of the bathroom door slamming echoing throughout the small motel room.

Dean glared at the tall, dark haired man, sighing as he slammed the knife down on the nightstand, cursing under his breath. "I'm starting to miss the JoBro angel," he mumbled.

"Too bad," Ezra said in an almost threatening tone. "He's dead. You're stuck with me."

"This is going to be fun," Dean said sarcastically, resisting the urge to punch the angel.

"You'd just break your pretty little hand if you tried," Ezra said with a smirk as he sat himself back down in the armchair. "Now, don't mind me. Go back to sleep. You kiddies have a big day tomorrow. You have to stop the seals from being broken…"

Dean rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. "I'm going out for some air," he said, and then was out the door, slamming it behind him. Oshea glared at the angel and threw off the covers, wearily climbing out of bed and yanking open the door to follow him. When she stepped outside, she curled her arms around herself; she was wearing only the tank and a pair of shorts she had been sleeping in.

"Dean," Oshea said softly, walking to him. "Are you okay?"

Dean had started walking down the sidewalk from the motel, but he stopped when he heard Oshea call out his name. "I'm fine," he said, not turning around. Oshea walked around in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't seem fine… you've been acting a little weird since the whole Chuck thing. Especially toward me… I mean," She lifted her hand and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "You've been looking at me funny."

Dean sighed and turned around, facing Oshea. He shook his head, faking a little smile. "Really, I'm fine. I'm just going to go for a walk."

Oshea watched him a moment then lowered her eyes, not seeming convinced. "Okay," She said quietly. She rubbed her upper arm a little. "I'll just… I'll be at the hotel." She kept her eyes down as she padded back down the sidewalk and stepped into the hotel. She was moving down the hall when she was suddenly grasped by the upper arms and shoved violently against the wall. Ezra gripped her arms tightly as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"You want to know why he looks at you that way? Hm?"

Oshea trembled slighlty, breathing a little heavily. "You're hurting me…"

"It's because you're a monster… you're no better than the things he's killed before. He thinks he'll have to kill you someday, you know he'll do it. The world and all of the innocent little piggies that inhabit it are worth more than one measly little fling. Even your sister is disgusted by you… they all are. It would be better for you if you just left. Go and live with your little demon friends." He brushed one hand against her cheek. "Or better yet, make the world a better place and just put a gun between your teeth."

Oshea closed her eyes tightly as he spoke and when he had finished, she suddenly found herself able to move. She opened her eyes and looked up and down the hall, seeing that he was gone.

A few minutes later, Ella emerged from the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair as she walked over to Sam. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Ezra made Dean mad and he took off. Oshea went after him. Ezra poofed away and I have no idea where Castiel is." He said with a little nod. "Are you okay, Els?"

"Not really. This whole thing is just…" She shook her head as her words trailed off. "I'm sick of this angel crap. I mean sure, Castiel, fine, there's one angel that doesn't make me want to stab his eyes out. But the rest of them… they just give me a bad feeling. Something isn't right."

Sam sighed and put his hands against her cheeks. "I know. Look, we can pack up the Impala and go. Joel said that the angels wouldn't be able to find you with the brands, right? You and I can go now while Ezra's gone… we'll call Dean and Oshea and they can follow us. We can find a way to contact Cas, see if he can brand me and Dean, too. Then they'll never be able to find us…"

Ella sighed. "I don't know, Sam. Do you honestly think it would be that easy?"

"It's worth a try," Sam said as he released her and started into the room, pulling out his suitcase from beneath his and Ella's bed. "We can take a bus or something. Dean would kill me if I stole the Impala." He said, dropping the suitcase on the bed and moving to the chest of drawers, pulling out their clothes.

"There's no use in trying to run."

Sam looked up quickly, cursing under his breath as he saw Ezra sitting on the other bed. The angel shook his head. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. Little Ella needs to be protected. She can see and hear us. If the demons got a hold of her, they would have their own private channel to Heaven. And you don't want that do you? Besides. If you tried to leave, I would just find you. I might not be able to track Ella, but I can still track you, Sam. And I know you'd not leave her alone."

Ella groaned quietly and climbed back into the bed, pulling the covers completely over her head.

Sam narrowed his eyes and walked over to Ella. "Ella… where did you put that angel killing sword thing?"

Ezra smiled gently. "Have you ever been curious about what your spleen looks like?"

"No, thank you," Sam said through gritted teeth. He stood up and walked toward the door. "Ella… I'm going to call Dean. I'll be right outside." He said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing his brother's number.

"Yeah?" Dean said, flipping open the cheap Verizon phone as he stood outside the small convenience store down the street, a can of soda in one hand and the phone in the other.

"Dean, we have got to do something about this Ezra character." Sam said.

Dean took a last sip of the drink and then tossed it in the trashcan before he started back to the motel. "Like what?"

"Anything to get him away from Ella." Sam said with a sigh.


	49. Cold As Ice

Ezra walked toward the bed where Ella was laying and grabbed the edge of the covers, yanking them off of her and throwing them onto the floor. He leaned forward and grabbed Ella by the throat, holding her down against it. "You got lucky when you killed Uriel." He said with a growl, leaning down toward her face. "You will not be lucky this time…"

Ella gasped as she moved her hand over to the nightstand, inside of which was the archangel sword. She fumbled with the drawer handle, unsuccessfully, and moved her hands to her throat, trying to break free of Ezra's grasp. Ezra smiled down at her. "You humans are so fragile… it's pathetic, really." The door started to open and Sam walked in, shutting his cell phone. Ezra vanished, and Sam furrowed his brows.

"Ella? What is going on?"

Ella's hands grasped at her neck where Ezra's hands had been. "Ezra…" She gasped.

Sam moved in to her quickly and sat down on the side of the bed. He carefully pulled her hands away from her neck and his eyes widened as he saw bruises on her neck. "Ezra did this to you?" He said lowly. He flipped open his phone and redialed Dean's number. "Dean, you need to get back here now."

When Dean returned to the motel, he found the room was quiet. Ella was sitting Indian style against the headboard, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at the floral bed sheets. Sam was sitting beside of Ella, an arm around her shoulders. "Dean… look what Ezra did to Ella…"

Ella pulled down the neckline of her shirt and pointed to the bruises on her neck. Dean's eyes widened a little as he pulled off his dark green jacket and tossed it onto the chair while walking over to Ella. "He did that to you?" Ella nodded.

"Where is Oshea?" Sam said as he looked up at Dean.

Dean shrugged his shoulders a little. "No. Wait, you mean she's not with you guys?"

"No, she went after you," Sam said, his brows furrowing. "She didn't come back. We thought she was with you."

Dean shook his head, "Last time I saw her she was standing outside the motel…" He frowned a bit.

Sam furrowed his brows and walked to the chest of drawers, pulling one of them open. "Her things are still here… where do you think she is?" He said closing the drawer.

Dean's mind wandered back to the prophecy about Jonah and Oshea, and his jaw clenched. "I'll be right back," he said, quickly leaving the room. As he stepped outside in the cold night air, he pulled out his phone and dialed Oshea's number.

The phone rang four times before going to voicemail.

Dean cursed and slammed his phone shut and walked back into the motel.

_xx_

Oshea opened the door and moved around the beds quietly, going to the dresser and began to pull out her clothes into her suitcase, which she had pulled from beneath her and Dean's bed.

Dean had not been able to fall asleep, he had just been laying in his bed for hours, staring up at the ceiling. When the door open, Dean narrowed his eyes and watched as Oshea moved about the room in the light of the dim lamp. "Going somewhere?"

Oshea jumped slightly, turning to look at him. She sighed softly and lowered her eyes. "Dean… I…." She brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"You what?" Dean asked, slowly sitting up. "Please, feel free to finish your sentence, I've got all night."

Oshea chewed on her lower lip and stood up. "I can't stay here, Dean." She said after a moment, rubbing her arms that were dotted with bruises from Ezra.

"And why not, Oshea?" Dean asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes and then looking up at her.

"Because, Dean…. I… I'm a monster," She said quietly, keeping her eyes down as she toyed with a strand of her hair. "I have demon blood running through my veins and I'm still craving it. It's not as bad as before, but… I still get the headaches… I-I could hear Allastair's heart pumping his blood through his veins when I killed him." She shook her head. "I'm no better than the stuff that we kill… and it just would be better if I… if I left." With that, she turned and knelt back down next to her suitcase, half-heartedly stuffing her clothing into it.

"So that's it? You're just leaving? Because that solves everything…" Dean sighed.

"I don't know what else to do, Dean!" She hissed, flinging down one of her shirts into her suitcase. She stood up and walked over to him. "What do you suggest that I do, hm? I'm craving demon blood again… I'm always going to be craving it. There is no getting better. It's not like some drug addiction… I will always want it." She paused a moment, biting her lip again as tear filled her eyes. "I just can't… take this anymore…lately you… you won't kiss me… you barely touch me… you look at me differently… that is when you look at me at all." She swallowed hard. "It's been that way since we met Chuck… what happened, Dean? Did… did reading about it make it more real to you or something..?" She glanced up at him, tears running down her face.

"Yes, I admit, reading about you sleeping with that demon, that's not exactly been very easy to cope with, Oshea," he said, shaking his head.

Oshea lowered her eyes and nodded, brushing the heel of her hand against her eyes to wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry, Dean…" She said quietly.

Dean sighed, cupping her face with his hands. "You're not going anywhere," he said with a little smirk before he kissed her. Oshea looked up at him as he touched her face and her eyes widened a little when his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes after a moment and curled her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.


	50. Business As Usual

A few days passed, and the Winchesters and Blackwood's lives were slowly returning to normal, at least, what could pass as normal to them. No one had seen Ezra since he had disappeared days before. Not even Castiel had shown himself.

Ella was sitting in the backseat of the Impala when her cell phone rang. She arched a brow, the only people who had her number were in the car with her. "Hello?"

"Oh, uh… Ella, hi!" A familiar voice said on the other line. "It's Chuck… Shurley… the uh… prophet, listen I… well I really need to talk to you all… I couldn't find Dean's number in the books…."

"Hey, Chuck," Ella said. Dean glanced up at her in the mirror and arched a brow. She shrugged. "What's going on?"

"Well… alright," He sighed. "Listen, I had a vision, not long after you guys left and… I was going to tell you but I was told not to by the angels… by Zachariah, but I just… I have to tell you. I can't keep this to myself anymore… it's not right…"

"Fine, Chuck, spit it out, what's up?"

"Okay okay… Ezra is going to kill Oshea." He said quickly. "But… not on purpose. He's going to try to kill you, Ella, he's part of Uriel's following. When Uriel killed Joel, he made sure that your next guardian would be Ezra… so Ezra could kill you. And… Oshea is going to try to save you and he's going to kill her…."

Ella frowned a bit. "He's going to… wait, what?" She sighed. "Can you meet us somewhere, Chuck? We're passing through Duluth, Minnesota, we're about to stop at a motel for the night. You could meet us there."

"I knew that, but … uh… I can't come there, that's where it's all going to happen." He said nervously.

"Chuck, nothing can happen to you. You have an archangel tethered to you. As soon as Ezra shows his ugly face anywhere near us, he gets smoked," Ella sighed. "All you have to do is show up, Chuck. If you don't come meet us, then we'll just go ahead and go to your place. Take your pick."

"I have a…. what now?" He said in confusion. "Um… I guess I could… since you put it that way. I'll be there as soon as I can…"

Ella hung up the phone and dropped it in her lap. "Chuck's going to meet us at the motel. Apparently, Ezra's coming back, and like we figured, he's not one of the good guys."

"That's just great," Sam said with a heavy sigh. "I hope Chuck hurries and that Castiel was right about the archangel thing he told Dean…"

_xx_

DULUTH, MINNESOTA

While they were unpacking after just checking in to the small, old hotel, Chuck appeared in the room, wearing an old brown jacket over a dark button down shirt and dusty jeans. He ran a hand over his messy brown hair. "Hi, guys… Castiel came and poof," He said, waving his hands a little. "He sent me over here."

Ella jumped a bit as he appeared. "Did he mention _why_ exactly he's been avoiding us like the plague?" Ella said, rolling her eyes.

"Apparently, this Ezra character is a very powerful angel. He's been keeping Castiel from coming to you." Chuck said, shifting uncomfortably. He started to say something else when his eyes widened and he took a step backwards. Ezra smiled as he stepped into the room.

"I told you that you could not run from me." He said to Ella.

Ella grimaced. "Lovely to see you, too."

Ezra turned his attention to Chuck, arching his brow. Chuck stared at him a little nervously. "I… am the prophet Chuck!" He said with a little squeak, turning to look around as the room began to shake and a bright light started to spill through the windows of the small hotel.

After a sudden flash of bright light, the shaking stopped and a young woman with jet black hair and bright blue eyes appeared in the middle of the room, dressed in snug fitting black pants and a lacey white top. She was holding a silver archangel's sword. "Hello, Ezra."

Ezra smiled faintly, grasping the sword that laid on the nightstand by Ella's bed. "Hello, Hannah."

Chuck's eyes grew wide as he stared at the woman, "Wow…"

Hannah frowned a little at him. "Why are you doing this, Ezra?"

"You know why I am doing this…," He said as he twirled the blade in his hand. "It is time to raise our brother. And I cannot allow anyone to get in the way."

"Then I'm afraid that I cannot let you leave this room, Ezra. You are a danger to everyone around you," She said, taking a few steps towards him. Ezra tightened his grip on the blade in his hand and stepped toward her.

"It doesn't have to be this way. You could join us, sister…"

Hannah narrowed her eyes at him. "It's not going to happen, Ezra. Now, stand still while I shove this through your cold, beating heart," She said, gesturing at the blade with a nod as she held it up in the air. Ezra waited until the blade was nearly upon him before he knocked the blade away and shoved his sword through the female's throat.

Ella let out a quiet gasp, watching as the angel permeated with a bright light, and then fell to the floor, a bloody, gaping hole in the middle of the now empty vessel's throat. Chuck's eyes widened and he knelt down by the angel's vessel. "He just… I thought he couldn't do that…"

Ezra smirked as he pulled out the sword. "I can do a lot of surprising things, maggot." He said stepping toward him. Chuck crawled backwards and pulled himself up into a standing position, his eyes wide. Castiel suddenly appeared in front of him and punched him in the face, sending him staggering backwards. Ezra staggered backwards and looked up just in time for Castiel to drive his fist into his face then his abdomen. Ezra took the sword and shoved it down toward Castiel's chest. Castiel grabbed the blade and grunted as he tried to push it away. Ezra pressed harder and the tip of the blade pierced Castiel's shoulder. The angel gasped in pain and rammed his head against Ezra's, sending him staggering backwards. Castiel placed his hand against his wound, smearing his palm with blood before moving to the wall. He quickly drew a group of symbols and pressed his bloodied palm against it. Ezra shrieked and burst into a bright light, vanishing from the room.

"Great timing, Cas," Dean finally said, breaking the silence.

Castiel nodded slowly, gripping the angelic blade and easing it from his shoulder. Chuck was trembling as he moved back to the female angel. His eyes traveled over the black wings that were spread out against the floor then turned back to her. "She's dead…" He said weakly.

Ella looked up at Castiel. "So what are we supposed to do now?"

"This has never happened before," Castiel said with a frown. "Chuck is going to need protection. If the demons found out about this, they will kill him." Chuck looked up sharply at Castiel, then looked between the others.

"What? The _demons_ are going to try to _kill_ me?" He said, his eyes widening and he grew a little pale. "I just… I just came to help you guys out… I didn't sign up for having to deal with demons."

Dean rolled his eyes, ignoring Chuck as he turned back to Castiel. "I hope you're not suggesting _us_ protecting him. According to you guys, we were barely able to take care of Ella. And now we have to drag along a _prophet?_"

"It's your fault that I was even here," Chuck said, toying with the sleeve of his jacket. "I didn't want to come, but no.. 'you'll be fine you have an archangel.' Well now my archangel… my pretty… pretty archangel is dead."

"Shut up Chuck," Both Ella and Dean said at the same time. Ella looked at Castiel. "So… that's it? We have to watch over him now? For how long? And Ezra's going to be back, you know. He'll find us."

"No, he won't." Castiel said as he moved toward them. He laid his hands on Dean and Sam's midsections. As they gasped in pain, he stepped away and moved to Chuck, repeating the process. "You have all been branded with the Echonian Sigil. No angel will be able to find you. You must protect him until the angels can find someone that is trustworthy."

Ella scoffed. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Chuck shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Can… can I at least go home and get my things?"

Castiel shook his head. "I do not think it would be safe for you to. I can bring your things to you myself. I suggest you all find another place to stay, and we will need some way for us to communicate. I will not be able to find any of you once you are gone."

"You could always get a cell phone, Cas," Ella suggested, raising her eyebrows a bit as she shrugged.

Castiel blinked, furrowing his brows slighlty. "A cell phone?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. Like this." He said, pulling out his cell phone and holding it out to show him. Castiel took the device and looked it over,

"I do not know how to use this…" Castiel said with a little frown.

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out," Ella said. "In the meantime, we'd better get the hell out of dodge before Ezra or another one of your lovable brothers stops by for a visit."

Castiel nodded, "Yes. You should go as soon as possible." He tilted his head as he tentatively pressed one of the buttons on the phone. He jumped slighlty when a feminine, electronic voice spoke through the phone, "_Please say a command." _

"Is… there someone in there?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Okay, guys." He took the phone from Castiel and closed it. "You go ahead. I'll hang back here with Cas and try to get him fixed up with a cell. I'll meet you guys."

Since they had not unpacked or brought their belongings inside the motel, Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and then he, Ella, Oshea, and Chuck piled into the vehicle. They stopped a couple states over at a decent looking motel. The room had two queen sized beds and a small couch on the opposite wall.

"That's your bed," Dean said, looking at Chuck and gesturing to the couch. He dropped his own duffle bag by one of the beds and sat down on the bottom of it. Chuck glanced to the couch and nodded, still looking a little shaken.

"Okay."

Oshea walked over to her bed, setting down her suitcase and kicking it underneath the bed. She didn't even bother unpacking, with the way they had been having to move around so much, there really was no point.

Ella picked up her cell phone, dialing Sam's number. After she had told him the name of the motel they were staying, she hung up and looked over at Chuck a little sympathetically. "How are you doing, Chuck?"

"Oh… I'm fine. Just fine…," Chuck said with a little half hearted chuckle. "I mean… I see all of these terrible things every time I close my eyes then I find out I'm some kind of prophet and all this stuff I've been writing about is real and that I need protection because all of the monsters and demons and things want to kill me. And now my protection is dead because of me…" He said quietly, sinking down on the couch.

Ella frowned a little at Chuck as she put her phone down on the nightstand and then looked over at Oshea and Dean. "Sam said Cas would poof him on over here in a few. Cas is still trying to get the hang of the whole cell phone thing." She said, rolling her eyes.

Oshea chuckled some as she flopped down onto the bed, curving her arm under her head. "This should be amusing."

Dean nodded, smiling a little. He looked over at Chuck and smirked, looking down and rummaging through his duffle, pulling out a small flask. He tossed it over at Chuck. Chuck caught the flask and looked up at Dean briefly before unscrewing the lid and tipping up the flask, gulping down the liquid as he sank down on the couch. Sam suddenly appeared in front of them, and Chuck choked a little in surprise.

Sam looked up at Dean. "Yeah, Cas is technologically challenged, but I think he can at least answer the phone and call us now." He walked passed the couch, patting Chuck on the shoulder. "Hey, Chuck." Chuck nodded, swallowing.

"Hi, Sam…"

Sam walked over to Ella. "Hey, how are you? You okay?"

Ella smiled a little. "Better than Chuck," She said, nodding over at the prophet who had just finished off Dean's entire flask. Chuck sat down the flask and slipped out of his shoes, pulling up his feet onto the couch and stretching out, curling his arms under his head. Sam smiled a little bit and shook his head.

"It'll get easier for him once he gets used things. I mean, we were raised with this stuff, and its just kind of been thrown into his lap."

Ella nodded. "Well, I'm pooped," She said, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand that read 1:37 AM. "I'm going to try to get some rest. We should probably take turns having someone stay up and keep watch, just in case Cas shows up."

"Sounds like a good idea," Sam said with a nod, rubbing her back gently. "You guys go to bed, I'll take the first shift." He pulled his laptop out of its case and walked to the table, sitting it down and pulling it open before plopping into the chair. He glanced over at Chuck, who was already dozing on the couch.

Dean kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed next to Oshea. He leaned over, turning off the lamp so that the only light left in the room was coming from Sam's computer, and the red letters on the alarm clock.


	51. Babysitting A Prophet

The digital numbers on the clock read 3:00 AM when the computer screen started to blur in front of Sam. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. He was just about to close his computer and wake up Dean to take the next watch when a shadow fell over him. "Hello, Sam." Sam jerked up and fell backwards out of the chair onto the floor, jerking out his gun from the waistband of his pants and holding it up.

Castiel was standing by him, his brows furrowed. "Are you alright?"

"No thanks to you!" Sam said, pushing himself up to his feet and sitting up the chair. "What are you trying to do, Cas, give me a heart attack?"

Castiel shook his head before walking to Dean and Oshea and touching their foreheads. Oshea lurched upward with a gasp. "Castiel?" She groaned and touched her head, brushing back some of her hair. Castiel stepped over to Ella and did the same.

"Cas?" Dean blinked, squinting his eyes a little at the alarm clock. "Cas it's three in the morning!"

Castiel nodded, walking to the couch. He glanced down at Chuck, but did not move to wake him. "I realize that, but there is something very important I need to speak with you about. There is a seal about to be broken. We need you to help us."

"And it couldn't wait til morning? Cas we've only gotten like an hour worth of sleep," Ella said with an exhausted frown.

"No, this could not wait. Human souls are being harvested from Pierce County, Iowa. This is very urgent. If just a few more are taken, the seal will be broken. It is imperative that you get there as soon as you can and find out who or what is doing this and stop them."

"Pierce County?" Dean arched a brow. "That's like a seven hour drive from here," He rolled his eyes and sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. "Fine, but if one of us passes out at the wheel and we all die in a horrible fiery car accident, it's your fault, Cas."

Sam yawned and closed his laptop, packing it back. "Well I definitely cannot drive. I'm about to fall over. And Chuck the prophet is drunk. So I nominate you, Dean." He said with a weary smile as he patted his brother's chest and moved to pull his suitcase out from beneath the bed.

"Well, at least we didn't unpack," Oshea said weakly as she pulled out her suitcase.

"Chuck," Ella said, getting up from the bed and tapping him a couple of times on his arm. "Chuck," She said again.

Chuck groaned and turned over, pressing his face into the pillow. When she tapped him again, he jerked up a little and turned over, sitting up in the couch quickly and held up his hands in karate positions. When he saw it was Ella, he sighed and let his hands fall into his lap. "Oh… hi…," He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What… what's going on? What time is…." he looked at his watch and flopped back onto the couch. "Guys it's three in the morning!"

"We have a seven hour drive ahead of us, we can sleep in the car," Ella said, groaning a little as she brushed a hand through her slightly messy hair and then leaning down to pick up her suitcase.

Chuck sighed, looking up at Castiel. "Did you at least bring my stuff for me, Castiel?"

The angel nodded, "Your things are in the Impala."

"Thank you," Chuck said as he sleepily wandered around the couch toward the door of the hotel room.

Dean yawned and snatched up his duffle bag and the car keys from the top of the dresser.

_xx_

_PIERCE COUNTY, IOWA_

_xx_

They arrived in Pierce County about eight hours later, and they pulled into the parking lot of the first motel they found. It was a small, dingy looking building that was painted a pale yellow on the outside. The lights on the sign were flickering on and off. Chuck was practically sleep walking into the motel. He dropped his suitcase right inside of the door and moved to the couch, falling over the arm of the couch onto the cushions with a groan. Oshea rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair as she moved to the bed and sat down her suitcase before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Seven… hours…"

Without a word Dean dropped the keys on the dresser, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he walked across the room and passed out on one of the beds. Ella glared as the sunshine shined brightly through the tacky floral curtains. She pulled them closed. "I say we follow Dean's example and get a couple of hours sleep. It's barely noon now, we can get a little rest and figure out this whole seal thing later today."

Chuck yawned, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as he grabbed a handful of clothes and tossed it into the washing machine. The group had gotten a late start that morning since they had gotten in so early. It was well after noon before they were up and ready. They had decided to split up; Ella was in the Laundromat with Chuck washing up the group's clothes, Sam and Dean had gone to check out the bodies of the victims, and Oshea had left to talk to the victims' families. Chuck closed the washing machine and popped in a few coins. He was wearing a red shirt beneath a green button down and a grey zip up sweater over his jeans.

Ella yawned a little, shoving her and Oshea's clothes in the washer next to the one Chuck was standing in front of. After she had popped in a few coins, she grabbed a magazine and hopped on one of the vacant machines, and sat down Indian style, flipping through it. She lost interest quickly, and sat it down next to her, swinging her legs over the edge of the machine and dangling them.

Chuck glanced over to her, watching her set down the magazine and swing her legs back and forth over the open air. "I'm sorry," He said after a moment, lowering his eyes and toying with the edge of his sleeve. "If I weren't here you could be with your sister instead of doing this.."

"It's fine, Chuck," She said with a little shrug. "I'm sure she'll do just as good a job without me. Besides, it's not you're fault you're having to tag along with us. Between you and me, I blame the angels. They're not doing a very good job screening out the crazy ones."

Chuck smiled a little at her and nodded. "Thanks, Ella." He said before moving back over to the basket of clothes. He began to pull out his things and throw them into the wash beside of the machine that was cleaning Sam and Dean's. He frowned as he realized he would need more detergent and stepped away from Ella and the machines, moving to a small dispenser on the wall and digging some change from his pocket to pay for the soap.

A pretty blonde stepped through the doors of the Laundromat, holding a small basket of clothes. She smiled and winked one of her blue eyes at Chuck as she walked past him and sat the basket down on top of one of the machines. She loaded her clothes into the washer, which happened to be mainly lingerie, and then stuck her hand in the pocket of her low rise jeans, digging for change. "Oh shoot," She muttered.

The prophet glanced briefly toward the doorway as the little bell tinkled, signaling the arrival of another customer. His eyes widened as he saw the woman and his lips parted slightly. When she winked, he blushed and blinked rapidly, slowly looking around himself to see if there was someone else that she could be winking at. When he saw no one, he turned his attention back to her and gave a shy smile. His blush deepened slightly as he saw the lingerie being thrown into the machine. He was at her side almost immediately as she spoke. "Is.. Is there anyway I can help?" He asked her, his voice a little unsteady.

The woman batted her eyelashes a little flirtatiously, pulling her hand out of her pocket. "I must have forgotten my change at home, silly me. Do you have a few quarters?"

Chuck nodded quickly, digging around in his pockets before he pulled out a handful of quarters. "Here you go, ma'am!"

She smiled, taking the coins from him. "Thanks cutie," She said with a wink, turning from him to put the coins in the machine.

Chuck smiled shyly back and lowered his eyes a little. "Anytime," He said with a nod. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"Nope," She said smiling at him as she closed the machine. "Oh wait, I have a few errands to run, do you think you could keep an eye on my clothes til I get back?"

"Oh of course!" He said quickly with a nod and a shy smile. "It would be my pleasure!"


	52. Soul Doctor

Both Sam and Dean Winchester were dressed in neat black suits as they stepped inside the morgue and approached the young man, flipping open their FBI badges. "Agent Tyler and Kramer. We're here to see the body of Cillian Hawke"

The coroner nodded after looking at the badges and led them to one of the drawers, pulling it open and tugging back a sheet to reveal the cold lifeless body of the male. "Here he is. Just died in his sleep."

The elder man said with a frown. He pulled on some gloves and handed a couple pair to Sam and Dean. "There was something strange." he pointed to a inky black growth that was gathered on the man's chest area near his heart. "This... we sent off samples of it to the lab, but it wasn't anything we'd seen before... not cancerous.. or... MRSA... anything.."

Dean scrunched up his nose a bit. "Do you know how long it's been there?" He asked the man, looking up from the corpse.

"Hard to tell." the man said with a shake of his head. "We're not even sure what it is. Feel free to take a sample. Just don't let it get on you."

"We would appreciate a sample. Have you had any other cases of this?" Sam said as the coroner moved away, grabbing a small glass container and a scalpel. He nodded as he cut away a piece of the black growth. It oozed and dripped a thick black liquid as he dropped it into the container and closed the top, handing it to Sam.

"Yes, we've had a few."

Dean nodded. "And the cause of death?"

"Seems to be natural causes." The man said. "His heart just gave out."

"And how many cases like this have you had? Including this one." Dean asked.

"I'd say... about four." He said with a nod, stroking his chin. "Do you have any idea what that is?" He asked, gesturing toward the black growth.

Dean shook his head. "No, but we're going to look into it," he said with a nod.

_xx_

When they left the morgue, Dean snatched the little container from Sam and squinted his eyes at it. "What IS that? It looks a little like ectoplasm to me... But why some seriously pissed spirit would leave ectoplasm on his victims is beyond me," he scrunched up his nose as he handed it back to Sam. "I say we do a little research on it. That is what you do best, geekboy," He smirked a little as they got in the car and started to the Laundromat to pick up Ella and Chuck.

"It doesn't make any sense, " Sam said with a frown. "It doesn't look like any ectoplasm I have ever seen before... but I don't know what else it could be." He took back the container and gave it a little shake as he climbed into the Impala. "Yeah, I'll start work on it as soon as we get back to the hotel. I wonder if Oshea had any luck talking with the victim's families."

Ella was putting the now clean and dry clothes back into the duffle bag when she heard the roar of the Impala's engine outside. She and Chuck quickly gathered their clothes and hurried outside, rain drizzling onto them as they both hopped in the back seat of the Impala. "How did it go?" Ella asked, pushing back a strand of damp hair from her face.

"Do we really have to go?" Chuck asked as he climbed into the car, glancing back over his shoulder toward the building. "Me and Amber were talking about fabric softeners."

"It went alright. Have you ever seen anything like this, Ella?" Sam said as he handed back the little container the held the piece of black growth. "Do you have any idea what it is?"

Ella rolled her eyes at Chuck, ignoring his comment as she took the small container from him and looked it over carefully. "Not a clue. Where did it come from?" She handed it back to him.

"The victims. They all had this stuff growing on their chests by their hearts." Sam said as he took the container back again. "Dean thinks it might be some kind of ectoplasm..."

"I said it could be," Dean corrected him. "We'll pick up Oshea, see if she had any luck, then head to the motel and see what we can find on your computer," He said with a nod at Sam.

When they pulled up to the spot where they were to pick up Oshea, Chuck was scratching at his chest, frowning as it seemed a slightly burning rash had begun to form on his chest. Oshea climbed into the back of the car, running her fingers through her hair. "How did it go at the morgue?"

"Found some weird black gunk on all four of the victims," He glanced back at Oshea. "All of their hearts just stopped, which is odd because they seemed to be in pretty good health. You know, other than the being dead part. What about you? Were the families any help?"

Oshea frowned a little as she took the container from Sam and looked it over. "Do you guys have any idea what this could be?" She asked giving the container a little shake. "Anyway... there is definitely a pattern. All of the guys complained of a weird rash on their chests and began to get very fatigued. Started sleeping for long periods of time until they finally went to sleep and never woke up."

"I haven't heard of anything like this," Ella said with a little frown.

They arrived back at the motel a few minutes later, after stopping by a small Chinese restaurant to grab takeout. "Neither have I, I'm going to start researching." Sam said as he stepped over to his laptop. Oshea yawned and stretched her arms over her head, going into the bathroom to take a shower. Chuck walked into the room with a frown, sitting down on the couch and tugging down his shirt collar to look at the ugly red place on his chest. He scratched at it with a deep frown.

Ella looked up from the container of fried rice she had been devouring, and arched a brow at Chuck. "What's going on over there, prophet dude?"

Chuck grimaced as he continued to scratch at the place on his chest until a little skin started to pull away and he drew a little blood. Sam's brows furrowed. "Chuck...? You okay?"

Chuck looked up and released his shirt, lowering his hand and nodding. "Yes... yes, I'm fine." Sam was about to say something else when his phone started to ring. He glanced at the caller ID then looked up at Dean, giving him a meaningful look.

"Yes, sheriff, this is Agent Kramer... what...? We'll be right there.." Sam hung up and looked over to the others. "Hey, Dean, apparently a guy just went to the hospital with one of those weird marks and he's still alive."

After a ten minute drive, filled with mostly Dean grumbling about having to leave his chicken behind at the motel, they arrived at the Pierce County Medical Center and flashed their badges at the woman at the front desk. "Ma'am, could you point us to the room of David Seville?" Ella asked, smiling politely at the woman.

The nurse nodded, her eyes wide after seeing the badges. "Yeah, of course! Has he done something wrong?"

Oshea shook her head. "No, of course not, he just needs to answer a couple of questions for us."

The nurse nodded and glanced at her computer. "Okay.. he's in room 311, second floor. Go right on up."


	53. Just Get Through The Night

They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall until they reached room 311. "Mr. Seville?" Dean said as they stepped into the room. Inside of the room there was a young man with messy dark brown hair laying propped up slightly in the hospital bed. He turned his head toward them as they entered. He yawned a little and sighed some.

"Who... who are you?" He whispered weakly.

"FBI," Sam said, holding up his badge. "We just want to ask you a few questions..."

"O-okay..." The young man said, breathlessly, his eyelids drooping. "Just... make it quick.. I'm... I'm really tired..."

"Of course, we understand," Ella said with a nod.

"So, Mr. Seville.. have you noticed anything strange at your home? Uh... flickering lights... noises like mice... or any-" He stopped as Seville's eyes closed and his chin fell against his chest. The heart monitor suddenly began to shriek with alarms as the patient flat-lined. Nurses came rushing into the room and shoo-ed the group out. Oshea's eyes were wide.

"Did he just...?"

Ella was quiet as she widened her eyes and peered into the room, watching the nurses try to revive him. "Well that hasn't happened before..." She mumbled.

"Dean...," Sam said shaking his head. "Whatever this is... it just claimed another victim. This is no spirit... there was no cold spot... the lights didn't flicker... nothing. He just..."

"Died.." Oshea finished for him, feeling a little shaken.

"Hey... uh... guys...?" Chuck squeaked nervously, idly scratching at his chest.

"What?" Dean barked, looking from the room back over to Chuck.

Chuck cleared his throat and tugged down the collar of his shirt, exposing the rash that had begun to ooze the black fluid. "I think we have a problem..." He said, looking very nervous.

Ella's eyes widened and she gasped quietly.

"I've got to make a call," Dean mumbled, pulling out his phone.

Bobby picked up the phone on the third ring and placed it against his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bobby. We're in Pierce County, Iowa, and something definitely weirder than the usual weird is going on here," Dean spoke into the phone.

"Alright, talk to me." Bobby said with a nod.

"Cas sent us here about some seal, and there are people dropping dead all over the place with some black inky rash right over their heart. The fifth victim just keeled over right in front of us, and now, apparently, Chuck's got it too. I've never heard of anything like this, Bobby," Dean shook his head.

"Hm... well, what does this rash look like?" He asked as he moved to his bookshelf and started to pull out a few thick, old looking volumes.

"Well we thought it was ectoplasm at first, but spirits don't normally leave that stuff laying around on random victims, do they?" Dean asked. "Whatever it was, I think it was draining the victims energy, because the guy we spoke to, complained of being really tired. How any of them got the rash, I don't have a clue."

"Oh crap." Bobby said as he flopped down into the chair behind his desk. He flipped through a large book. "This isn't good, Dean. Seems like what you've got is a Kere. They are death spirits. They look like a woman with talons and fangs, but the only person who can see them is the victim. The choose a victim and they mark them by touching them. After they have made skin contact, a rash develops over the victim's heart. And yeah, it drains their energy, makes the person very fatigued until they go to sleep. Once asleep, the Kere comes and rips out the person's soul."

"So, we're dealing with a female Freddy Kreuger? So, Chuck's pretty much screwed if he so much as takes a nap. Wonderful. Didn't see this coming, did you, prophet boy?" He glanced over at Chuck who stood nervously and fidgety against the wall in the hallway.

"This isn't funny, Dean!" Chuck said, his eyes growing wide. "I.. I'm going to die. Just like that guy in there." He said, gesturing toward the hospital room.

Dean rolled his eyes. "You're not going to die, Chuck. So, Bobby, any idea how to get rid of this thing?"

"The only way to kill it is for the intended victim to stab it through the heart with a holy blade." Bobby said after a moment. "But you cannot let Chuck go to sleep. The moment he loses consciousness, they will be able to tear out his soul. If he is able to stay awake long enough, the Kere will get desperate and come for him and he can kill her."

"We'd better start loading the poor guy up with coffee then," Dean said. "So, holy blade, huh? Would an archangel's sword do the trick?"

"Yep, that'll about do it." He said with a nod, looking up from his book. "And it has to be directly in the heart."

"Thanks, Bobby, we'll give you a call if anything else happens."

_xx_

It had been three days since the rash had been discovered on Chuck's chest. They had all taken turns sitting up with Chuck to make sure that he did not fall asleep, but it was getting harder and harder for Chuck to stay awake. The prophet was sitting in a chair in front of Sam's laptop, typing quietly. His eyelids were drooping over his eyes and he had typed the same word three times in a row without realizing it. He sighed softly, leaning his chin into his hand as his eyes closed.

Ella sighed and walked over to the dozing prophet, smacking him hard on the back of the head with a copy of "No Rest For The Wicked" that had been laying in a pile of books next to the computer. Chuck gasped and opened his eyes a little, glancing over at her with a small frown. "I thought I wrote you nicer than this..." He sighed, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his cup of coffee that had a pink bendie straw inside. He took a long drink then shook his head. "I don't know how much longer I can stay awake, Ella... "

"Do you want your soul ripped out of your body by a female Freddy with talons and fangs?" She replied.

"No," Chuck whined a little as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "But it's been three days, Ella... I can't eat... I'm even starting to see little... little pink elephants." He said, lifting his hands and wiggling his fingers in front of himself.

Dean was laying on his bed on top of the covers with his hands behind his neck. He moved them and rubbed his eyes. "For the love of God, shut up Chuck. You are not the only one lacking in the sleep department these days."

"I'm sorry, Dean," Chuck said sincerely, glancing over at him with a small frown. He looked into his cup of coffee, finding it empty and stood up to go fill it. When he took a step away from the chair, however, he swayed and started to fall to the floor.

Ella pulled him back up by his arm, "A little help, somebody."

Dean groaned and dragged himself out of bed, helping Ella sit him back upright in the seat. He smacked him a little across the face, jolting him awake. Chuck blinked and looked up , his eyes growing a little wide as he saw a grotesque female creature hovering just over Dean's shoulder. He jerked backwards, knocking the chair over as he reached for the archangel's sword. The Kere shrieked and lurched toward him as he fumbled with the weapon. He was thrown to his back as the creature forced him backwards. He pushed the sword upward as she came at him again and the blade pierced through her chest. The Kere screeched and burst into flames before fading away into ash. Chuck panted softly and let his arms fall to his sides.


	54. With Heaven On Our Side

_LAURENS, GEORGIA_

The Red Carpet Inn was not as glamorous as it sounded. The structure was a stretch of rooms on two floors with the doors facing outwards onto a balcony or sidewalk depending on which floor you were on. Nonetheless, it was clean and relatively inexpensive. It was early, the first light of dawn was breaking, painting the sky a dismal grey as the stars began to slowly die away. A '67 Impala sat in the parking space in front of one of the rooms, which had its curtains tightly drawn. The fluorescent lights that lined the roof over the strip of sidewalk that ran in front of the doors of the lower rooms flickered and buzzed as a young man wearing a trench coat stepped down the sidewalk and moved to the door of the room. Briefly, he disappeared inside. His eyes passed over the forms sleeping in the beds and he paused. Deciding to wait until a more reasonable hour, he reappeared outside of the room and stood by the door.

After a few moments, a streetlight began to flicker, before a young brunette woman appeared about ten feet away from him on the sidewalk in front of the rooms. "Hello, Castiel," Her voice greeted him softly. Her skin was very light, almost porcelain, and her cheeks were a light shade of pink. She was wearing a dark brown dress-jacket over top a pale gold colored strapless dress. Her light blue eyes looked him over for a moment.

Castiel lifted his eyes and stared at the woman a moment in silence before his brows furrowed slightly. "Jael...?" He whispered, stepping away from the door toward her. His eyes ran over her form and he paused just a little in front of her. "It's... it's been a long time."

She nodded. "Yes, a hundred years or so. But I've now been demoted to bothersome guardian duty. Or promoted, it depends on how you look at it."

Castiel's brows lifted slightly. "Guardian duty? For who...?" His voice trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder back toward the room he had been standing in front of. "For... for Ella..?"

Jael nodded. "Yes. I realize this mission is a undoubtedly a futile one, in view of the fact that the last two of Ella's guardians were either brutally murdered, or tried to kill her sister. But I am here to do a job, Castiel."

Castiel nodded slowly, "Do not worry, Jael. I will do my best to help you with your job. I myself have been traveling with the Winchesters and Blackwoods for some time now."

"I'm well aware of that," Jael said with a slight nod. Without another word, she disappeared, and reappeared on the other side of the motel room's wall. Castiel hesitated before appearing in the room as well. He looked at the sleeping humans a little fondly; he had grown quite close to them since he had come to earth. He turned his attention back to Jael.

"I am glad that you are alright. I was worried that you had been killed by Uriel and the others."

Jael nodded, walking over to the bed where Sam and Ella slept, looking over them a moment, quietly, before she looked back up at the man in the trench coat. "Yes, that was unfortunate. I suppose we have you to thank for the way it ended. I realize that Ella killed him, but if it hadn't been for you and your doubts about his intentions, I might have well been the next one"

Castiel blinked in surprise, feeling a little embarrassed at her gratitude. He shook his head slowly. "I was only trying to do what our Father would have wanted..." His voice trailed off. "I only wish that Uriel had been discovered sooner so that our brothers and sisters had not died..."

Jael nodded. "So, shall I wake them now?"

"No," He said without hesitation. "We should let them sleep. They seem to be in better spirits if you wait until the sun is nearly in the middle of the sky." He whispered, recalling the complaints he had received every time he had awakened them early.

_xx_

It was half past 11am when Ella's eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly in bed, stretching her arms and yawning. After what had happened with Chuck and the Kere, Chuck had left. As much as she had a soft spot for the poor little Prophet, she was glad that they no longer had to share a room with him, and be woken up at all hours of the night by him typing incessantly on his keyboard. After rubbing her eyes she looked down and realized the covers beside her were Sam was were pushed aside and the spot was vacant. She pulled the covers off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A few minutes later she reopened the door, only have her heart nearly jump out of her chest as she let out a short, loud cry of surprise. A brunette woman with bright blue eyes stood directly in front of the doorframe. The woman tilted her head a bit and frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Oshea jerked awake at the cry and sat up in bed, her eyes growing wide as she saw the strange female inside the room. "Dean!" She said, turning toward him and giving him a quick shake. Castiel appeared in the middle of the room, shaking his head.

"Do not be alarmed. This is Jael... she is your guardian, Ella."

Ella's eyes widened. "Tell me you're kidding, Cas, please tell me you are kidding. Tell me anything but that the person in front of me is another one of your crappy guardian angels."

"I understand your apprehension, Ella, but I am not to blame for your previous keepers. I am here because I was sent to do what they failed to," Jael explained. "You liking me or my sisters or brothers has nothing to do with it."

Oshea stood up, grabbing the angelic blade from the nightstand. "We don't need your help. We don't trust you angels, and so far you've been more danger to my sister than help." Castiel stepped up behind

Jael, casually placing a protective hand at the small of her back.

"Listen," He said, looking between Oshea to Ella. "I will personally vouch for Jael. She will not betray us as the others have. You have my word."

Ella watched her warily before nodding over at Oshea. "If Cas says we can trust her, we can at least give her a chance. But the first dodgy feeling I get about you, don't think we won't be using that," she gestured at the weapon.

"Fair enough"

Oshea narrowed her eyes, but slowly lowered the weapon back down. The door opened and Sam stepped into the room carrying a tray of coffees and a few brown paper bags. He sat down the items on the surface of the table, starting to speak when he noticed Jael. He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Ella's new guardian angel. Cas says we can trust her." Oshea said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I find that hard to believe," Sam complained lowly.

Ella sighed. "You're not the only one," she said, walking over and picking up one of the coffee cups, taking a long sip and sitting it back down as she started to rummage through one of the paper bags. She tossed Dean his usual breakfast sandwich, and Oshea hers. After pulling out her own bag of hashbrowns, she passed Sam the bag. Oshea yawned as she caught her sandwich and climbed back into the bed with Dean while she ate it, still eying the new angel with suspicion. It was only a few minutes after they had started eating when Dean's cell phone began to ring.

Dean eyed his already half eaten sandwich hungrily as he sat it down on the wrapper on his lap, and flipped open the phone. "Hello?"

"Dean, it's Bobby. I think I have a case for you all." He said, flipping through a few newspaper articles that were on his desk. "Students have been disappearing from a high school in Pinedale, Wyoming. I'm talking literal disappearing. One person claimed that they saw their best friend fade away while in the locker room after cheerleading practice."

"Got any leads on what it might be?" Dean asked.

"Not yet, I haven't been able to get too much information about it. The police are thinking its some kind of prank and aren't doing much in the way of investigating, and the cheerleader disappeared before I

could talk to her about what she saw. You guys are on your own for this." Bobby said, shrugging as he sat down a little heavily in his chair.

"Very weird," The elder Winchester asked. "What high school is it?"

"Pinedale High School on Hennick Street," Bobby said, looking over the newspaper articles again. "Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Okay, thanks Bobby," Dean hung up the phone and dropped it on the bed. "That was Bobby, he's got a case for us. Couple of cheerleaders going poof in Wyoming, he thinks we oughta check it out."

Oshea groaned softly, flopping back against the pillows of her and Dean's bed as she took another bite of her breakfast sandwich. "Wyoming? That'll take hours! Days!"

"We'd better leave now, then," Dean said, and then he hesitated, looking down at his breakfast sandwich. "After we finish eating, of course."

_xx_

_PINEDALE, WYOMING  
xx _

It was dark by the time they had pulled into the Half Moon Lodge Motel which consisted of 19 ground level rooms smushed together in an angular semi-circle. Oshea sighed as she walked to the blue striped bed and dropped her suitcase onto it, hearing the bed creak softly. "So... what's the plan?" She questioned, rubbing her eyes a little. "We going to try to get jobs at the school? Pretend we're FBI? Pose as dropouts that decided to come back to school?"

Ella collapsed onto the other bed and sighed. "One of us could pose as a teacher. Janitor, maybe? Not it." she added quickly.

"I'll be the janitor," Sam said, lifting up his hand a little as he trudged over to the table and sat down his laptop and suitcase before sitting down on the edge of his and Ella's bed. Oshea nodded as she stepped toward the bathroom with her pajamas,

"You would be a good teacher, Ella."

"Really?" Ella asked a bit skeptically.

"Oshea and I can work the whole FBI angle," Dean said. "Unless you had something else in mind?"

"Of course," Oshea said with a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head before disappearing into the small bathroom. After a few moments, she stepped back out wearing short black shorts and a dark green tank. Her thick hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She stepped to her and Dean's bed and nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me, Dean. We can start first thing tomorrow." After quickly preparing themselves for bed, the Winchesters and the Blackwoods fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Jael, who had remained silent during the entire two day drive and the whole conversation, was standing outside the door of the motel room in the cool night air. The lights outside of the motel began to flicker and there was a soft rushing of wings as Castiel appeared just a few feet from Jael. He stepped toward her, glancing to the door of the motel room briefly before looking back to her. "Has everything been going smoothly?"

Jael nodded. "Yes, and no. There were a few demons as we were passing through Missouri that would have been a threat, but I annihilated them before the Winchesters or Blackwoods realized they were there. Zachariah was not kidding when he said demon after demon would be targeting Ella."

Castiel nodded slowly. "It is not only demons that are targeting her. I suppose you've heard about Ezra?" He questioned, clasping his hands together behind his back. "You must be careful... I do not want to lose any more of my brothers and sisters." He added, lowering his eyes.

Jael nodded. "Likewise. You are very valuable to us, Castiel. As much as Zachariah and the others try to deny it, you are one of the most loyal and trustworthy angels we have going for us. We never guessed that there would be so many rogue angels, though, even for an apocalypse," she said with a sigh.

The angel nodded slowly. "It has been very difficult...having to fight against our own kin. I am glad that Ella finally has a trustworthy angel guarding her." He said quietly.

Jael smiled a little, and then the space where she had been standing turned suddenly vacant, as she reappeared on the other side of the motel door, while the four hunters in the room were fast asleep, unaware of her presence.


	55. Smells Like Teen Spirit

The bell rang, echoing through the school's halls as the class ended and student spilled from the rooms into the hallways. Sam Winchester was standing at the end of one of the halls, lowering his EMF detector as students started to move to the lockers he had been checking. The front doors of the school opened as Oshea stepped inside wearing a short skirt and a button down shirt beneath her dress jacket. "Should we start with the principal?" She whispered to Dean, who had come in with her.

Dean nodded, glancing at the teenagers that started to crowd the hallway. They started down the hallway, and Dean looked at the doors they passed, looking for the words "Principal's Office."

Oshea sighed after a moment and shook her head. "This place is like a maze. Let's ask someone." She said, stepping over to a young man who was leaned against his locker talking to another group of boys.

"Excuse me." The teenager arched a brow as he very obviously gave her a once over and smirked,

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm special agent Jagger. My partner Watts and I are looking for the principal's office, can you show us where that is?" She questioned.

The teenage boy moved close toward her. "Why? Have you been a bad girl?" He questioned with a smirk.

Dean's eyes widened and he stared at the boy for a moment. "Kid I'd take that back if I were you, this chick could kick your ass in a heartbeat without even breaking a sweat," He said seriously.

The boy glanced toward Dean. "Excuse me, the lady and I were talking." Oshea arched a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. The boy turned back to her and placed his hands on either side of her head, pinning her against the wall. "Now, where were we?" Oshea smiled sweetly before reaching up and grabbing his wrist, whirling him about and shoving his chest against the lockers with his arm pinned behind his back.

"You were telling me how to get to the principal's office?"

The young man grunted. "End of the hall first door on the left."

"Thank you." Oshea said, releasing him as she stepped forward her heels clicking as she moved down the hall.

Dean snickered at the boy. "Told ya," he said before walking quickly ahead to catch up with Oshea. "Very impressive. You've not been in here five minutes and you're already beating up students," he said with a smirk.

"Well he asked for it!" Oshea said with a little grin as Dean walked up beside her. "And I didn't beat him up... exactly. Come on, we have to act like professionals." She said as they reached the Principal's office.

Dean tapped his knuckles on the door a couple times until a man's voice on the other end of the office called out, "Come in!"

As they stepped inside the medium sized room, a middle aged man behind a desk looked up at them. "Yes?"

"Principal Pryce?"

"That's me," the man replied with a nod. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," Dean pulled out his badge, flipping it open. "Agent Watts, this is my partner Agent Jagger. We'd like to ask you a couple questions about the disappearances at your school."

Principal Pryce looked confused. "But I spoke to a couple detectives already about this, last week in fact."

"Yes, but the case has been taken up by the FBI and we will need another statement from you," Oshea said with a little shrug. "Can you tell us when this all started happening?"

The man nodded and cleared his throat. "A senior, Caroline Rosenberg, disappeared about a month ago. She was the first one."

"Has there been anything strange happening at the school? Um… flickering lights? Sounds like scuffling like mice maybe? Did you… maybe hire someone new? A new student come…? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Pryce shook his head. "No… well, now that you mention it, we did hire a new guidance counselor a few weeks prior to the disappearances, but I don't see how she could have had anything to do with it."

"What's her name? Is she at work today?" Oshea questioned, arching a brow. "We'd really like to speak with her."

"No, actually," He shook his head. "Today is her day off. But I'm sure you can either catch her at home, or back here tomorrow."

Dean nodded. "We'll be sure to do that."

"What's her name and her address?" She questioned, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. "And I need a list of the students who have been sent to her or seen her since she was hired."

"Allyson Carpenter," he said, and then clicked his mouse a couple of times, pulling open a file of employee information on the screen. "182 Sunnydale Lane."

Oshea nodded as she wrote down the information. "And I'm guessing we'll find a record of her sessions in her office, which is…?"

"Right across the hall," Pryce said, nodding his head toward the door.

"Thank you." Oshea said with a small smile as she closed the notebook. She stepped from the office and walked across the hall toward the office. She checked the door handle, finding it locked and sighed. "Should we pick the lock or get the keys from Sam?"

"Might as well go see what Sam is up to, and get the keys from him," Dean said with a shrug. "Besides, pick locking the guidance counselor's door in the middle of a crowded school right across from the principals office is probably not the best idea."

"Aw, you're no fun," Oshea said with a little smile, curling her arms around his neck. She gave him a little kiss before she started down the hall. "School day's almost over. I'll go grab Ella and head for Carpenter's house while you and Sam check out the office."

"Sounds good," He said as he gave her another quick peck on the lips and turned around and started to look for Sam.

"These kids are _disgusting_," Sam said with a groan as he dropped a paper towel into his rolling trashcan. "Gum everywhere. You'd think they were chipmunks storing up for the winter…"

"So glad you volunteered to be janitor, huh?" Dean snickered. "So did the EMF pick up anything?"

"No. Next time you're being the freaking janitor." Sam said. "No. Nothing on the EMF. I've gone everywhere, and I mean everywhere."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, the principal was a bust, too. We did get the address of the new guidance counselor, she was hired right before students started going poof. Oshea and Ella are headed there right now to have a little chat with her."

"Well, it wasn't a _complete_ bust." Sam said as he reached into the trash bag and pulled out a few small velvet bags, offering them to Dean. "I found these in the lockers of the disappeared girls."

"Hex bags?" Dean arched a brow and groaned. "Great, so we're dealing with witches. I _hate w_itches."

"Yeah I know, but at least we know what it is now." Sam said with a shrug. "We just have to figure out who the wit-" He paused as he saw a girl wearing a black Gun N' Roses shirt and tight jeans walking down the hallway angrily. She moved to her locker, grumbling to herself as she yanked it open. Books spilled out onto the floor along with a thick hardback book with witch symbols on it.

Sam arched a brow and elbowed Dean a little, nodding toward the book as the girl knelt down to scoop up the things that had fallen from the floor.

"Looks like that's our witch," Dean said with a nod. "Well, get back to cleaning, janitor boy. I'll go have a chat with Miss Wicca."

"I'll see if I can find anymore hex bags," Sam nodded and began to whistle a little as he pushed his trashcan away.

Dean pulled out his badge as he walked across the hall and approached the young woman's locker, clearing his throat to get her attention as he stood over her. The girl held her book to her chest tightly as she looked at him. "Look… sir, I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

"Of course you do," Dean said with a nod. "You have to get back to class. But I'm sure your teacher will understand if you're a few minutes late because you were being questioned by a Federal Agent, right?" He smiled and quickly continued, without waiting for a reply. "Right? Good. Follow me."

The girl's eyes grew wide, and she paled slightly. "F-federal Agent?" She jogged after him, coming up beside him. "But… b-but I haven't done anything!"

"Never said you did. Just have to ask you a couple of routine questions, that's all. If you're telling the truth, then you have nothing to worry about," He said with a shrug. He stopped when they reached a corner of the school where there was a few uncomfortable looking armchairs next to a couple vending machines. Dean gestured towards one of the chairs as he sat down on the other. "So, I didn't catch your name."

She slowly sank down into one of the chairs, clinging to the book. "It's… uh… B-Brittney. Please, can we make this quick, I have to get home…"

Dean tried to hide his annoyance toward the girl, faking a smile as he nodded. "So, I'm guessing you've heard about the disappearances of your classmates. The name Caroline Rosenberg ring a bell?"

Brittney clenched her hands around the book tighter, frowning. "Yeah I knew her… can't say that I'm sad that she's gone." She muttered. Louder, she said, "But I don't know why she's gone. The police think that maybe the girls ran away. They were all kind of in a big," She waved one hand vaguely. "Clique thing…."

"I'm getting the feeling you weren't exactly 'BFFs' with the girls, then?"

"No," Brittney said, shaking her head. "Not at all. They hated me and let me know it… physically… verbally… the whole shebang." She said bitterly.

Dean nodded, and his attention was brought again to the book she was holding. "That's an interesting looking book, doesn't exactly scream school reading material, though."

"It's not… um… exactly," She said, glancing down at the book in her arms. "It's just some outside reading I'm doing… for a report."

"A report, huh? That's interesting, because we fou-" The sound of the school bell rang loudly, cutting him off. Brittney looked up and jumped from the chair.

"Sorry, I really have to go… it's important!" She said as she dashed away, disappearing into the crowd of students.

Dean cursed under his breath and pulled out his cell phone.


	56. You Kicked Down My Door, Dean

"So how was it being a child wrangler for a day?" Oshea said with a little grin as she and Ella walked down the sidewalk.

"Explain to me why people insist on reproducing and raising such terrible teenagers," Ella replied with a groan. "I forgot how loud and rude and annoying they can be."

"Aren't you glad that we took up the whole hunter mantle instead of you going after your dream to be a teacher?" She said with a grin, elbowing her sister a little in the side as they reached the house. "Okay… this is the place."

Ella scrunched her nose as she looked up at the nice two story home and the empty driveway. "Looks like she isn't home."

Oshea grinned broadly. "Great! Looks like I'll get to use my lock picking kit after all."

Just as they walked around the side of the house to the back door, Oshea's phone began to ring. Oshea had just knelt down to start picking the lock when the phone rang. She lowered her tools and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"It's Dean. Turns out you don't need to check out the counselor after all. Sam found a couple of hex bags in the lockers, and we found the witch, but she ran off when the bell rang and I didn't get a chance to finish talking to her."

"What? Are you serious? I was just about to…," She sighed and looked down at the new lock picking kit. "Fine… fine… so what do we do now?" She asked, packing it up and standing. She beckoned to Ella to follow her.

"I'm about to head to the girls house now, I snitched her address from the school records. It's 187 Penny Lane, meet you there?"

"Yeah, I think I saw it on our way over here," She said, pouting as she kicked a small stone on the sidewalk. "We'll be there in a few."

When Ella and Oshea arrived in front of the home, they spotted Dean leaning on the back of the '67 Impala, which was parked to the side of the road a little way from the house. When Dean saw them, he started walking and they met up halfway in the middle of the road. Oshea had her arms crossed over her chest with a frown. "I was just about break in my lock picking kit…" She said with a little frown. "Couldn't you have called just a few minutes later? Hm?"

Ella rolled her eyes. "She hasn't shut up about that thing since we left the counselor's house. The fact that she's upset about _not_ being able to break in random people's homes is really starting to worry me," She joked.

"Well, I've always wanted to do it!" Oshea said with a frown. "It looks so cool on those detective shows! I feel like Sherlock Holmes! When he was trying to pick the lock and Watson just… pow! Kicked down the door. You kicked down my door, Dean." She stuck out her lower lip some.

Dean shook his head, laughing. "No way. I'm totally better looking than Jude Law," He said with a grin as they walked up the pathway to the home.

Oshea smiled a tiny bit. "That's true. And you owe me! The next time a lock needs picking, I call dibs!" She said before jogging up after Dean. "Where is Sam? Still scraping gum off the bottom of desks?"

"Yep, he's cleaning up after the kiddies as we speak," He said, nodding as they reached the front door and rang the doorbell. "Feel free to do most of the talking, you guys. I get the feeling she's not going to be entirely happy to see me again."

The door opened a crack and Brittney frowned as she saw Dean. "What are you doing here?" She said, slipping out of the building and closing the door behind her, leaning against it. "Look, I'll answer all the questions you want, but not now! I have something I have to do. It's really important!" "Look this will only take a few minutes of your time," Oshea said with a little frown.

Brittney shook her head frantically. "You don't understand!" She said quickly. "You have to go! Please! You can arrest me, do whatever you want just not no-" She gasped as she looked down at her hands, which were growing translucent. "Oh God…"

Their eyes widened as the girl started to slowly disappear. "What do you know, Brittney?" Dean asked quickly.

"No… no, no…" She said weakly as her hands completely vanished and her wrist and lower arms started to fade. "I was so close! I was going to stop it! I had the spell ready…"

"Stop it…? You mean you're not the one making the girls disappear?" Oshea said.

Brittney shook her head, her legs were starting to vanish. She whimpered a little. "Of course not! I might not like those girls but I wouldn't do something like this! I'd never mess with that kind of power. The only thing I… I do is tiny things… I make my garden pretty… mix potions to fix my hair! Stuff like that… but I …when I found out what she was doing… I wanted to stop her and… oh… oh…" Her arms had vanished to her shoulders and her legs were completely gone. "I… don't want to die…"

Ella arched a brow. "Stop her? Who's her? Who's making the girls disappear?"

Brittney opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, she vanished completely. Oshea's eyes widened. "She's gone… she just… poof!" She said spreading her fingers out in front of her. "Dean… what are we going to do now? She wouldn't poof herself…"

"I… guess she isn't our witch after all," Ella said with a frown. "Which means…"

"Which means," Dean continued, "Someone is still out there, making big with the disappearances. You heard her, she was trying to stop the spell. Whoever it is, found that out, and poofed Brittany away just in time."

"Well… we still haven't checked out the guidance counselor," Oshea said, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. Her eyes widened and she tapped Dean's arm. "Ooo. If we hurry we might get to her house before she gets home and I can pick the lock!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, kiddo, and afterwards we'll go get you a Happy Meal," He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked from the house. Oshea leaned her head against her shoulder with a grin, looking up at him.

"Is that a promise? I like the nuggets the best."

"Sorry babe, looks like you won't be needing that pick locking kit after all," Dean said, gesturing at the lime green Volkswagen Jetta parked at the top of the driveway. Oshea groaned and stomped one foot.

"Oh cinnamon buns! Why couldn't she have not been home! Just once! I want to use my lock picking kit! Just once!" She sighed. "Well, let's go inside and find out if she's the witch already."

After a moment, both Ella and Dean arched a brow, staring at Oshea. "Cinnamon buns?"


	57. The Serpent Is Rising

Allyson Carpenter jumped a little as she heard knocks at the front door. She quickly composed herself. The thick leather bound book fell to the floor with a loud thud and she pushed it under the couch with the back of her ankle.

"Hello," She greeted them when she reached the front door and pulled it open, smiling. Her smile faded a little. "Is… is there a problem?"

"My name is Agent Jagger, this is my partner Agent Watts," Oshea said, nodding toward Dean. "We need to talk to you about the disappearances at the school."

"Oh, it's a shame, isn't it? I feel bad for the parents, worried sick about their children who are most likely kicked back at some beach somewhere, drinking out of a cup with a little umbrella," She shook her head. "Well anyway, would you like to come in?"

"Yes, we would actually." Oshea said with a little smile. "We'd like to look around your house. Take a look at your spell books maybe? Or we could skip straight to the whole kicking your butt thing."

"Frankly, I'm down for the whole butt kicking thing," Ella joined in.

Dean nodded. "Ditto."

Allyson frowned. "Spell books? Butt kicking? What kind of drugs are you people on?"

"Cut the act, we know you're the one causing the girls to disappear. Brittney told us everything before you poofed her away." She said, hoping that her lie would draw out a confession.

"Brittney? Brittney Harris? That troubled girl? She'd tell anyone anything just to get herself out of trouble. And what do you mean, she poofed away?"

"You know exactly what we mean," Oshea said, narrowing her eyes. "Girls start disappearing right after you're hired and you don't think that someone is going to notice? Plus you're leaving your hex bags out in the open in the kids' lockers where they could be found? A little sloppy don't you think?"

"Look, I don't know what kind of crack you guys are on, but I'm just a guidance counselor. Look me up, I was a guidance counselor at the last school I worked at. I moved here a month ago, and got a job at the school doing what I do best. That's all," Allyson said, shrugging.

Dean rolled his eyes. "You're not fooling us, not for a minute. You got ten seconds to let us inside so we can have a little chat about this in private, or else."

Allyson stepped aside, pulling the door all the way open so they could step inside. "By all means, come on in. I already invited you guys in, before you started all this nonsense."

Oshea pushed passed her and jogged into the living room, looking around a bit before she saw the corner of the book peering out from beneath the couch. She moved over toward it and plucked it up, holding out for Allyson to see. "And this… this is just… what? A little light reading? You doing a report on witchcraft, too?"

"I confiscated it from Brittney. She wasn't very happy about it, but that kind of stuff, it's not meant to be at school," She said with a shrug.

Oshea opened up the book and arched a brow. "_Property of Sister Carpenter presented at initiation…_ blah blah… happy witch day…. Blah blah. I didn't know Brittney's last name was Carpenter." She said with a sweet smile as she closed the book with a thump.

Allyson mirrored the smile, snatching the book and tossing it over on the couch. "So what do you guys actually intend on doing to me? Huh? Kill me?"

Dean shrugged. "That can be arranged."

"Or you know, you could play nice and bring back all the kids you poofed. Just curious why did you poof away young girls? You just get annoyed with them?" Oshea asked, watching the book smack the wall and slide down behind the couch.

"That's one way of looking at it. Plus, the whole being staying young thing isn't such a drag, either," She said, smiling eerily.

Oshea's eyes widened. "You… you didn't poof them away. You stole their essence… their life force. They're dead." She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, how about we just kill you."

Allyson shrugged. "You can try. I'm not sure what good it would do."

"It'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Oshea said with a smile as she pulled out a gun from the waistband of her skirt.

The witch rolled her eyes at the weapon. "A gun, how monotonous. You can't be a little more creative than that?" She scoffed.

"Oh this isn't just a gun," Oshea said with a little smile. "This is a special gun that I got from a wonderful weapons maker in Scotland. It's a tiny flame thrower." She said flicking the safety off of the weapon and pointing it at the witch before pulling the trigger and sending a stream of flame toward the witch.

Allyson ducked quickly, narrowly missing the flames that now ignited the couch behind her. She turned around and glared at Oshea. "You…! That couch was expensive!"

"Aw, I'm sorry. Wait… no I'm not." She said as she aimed the gun toward the witch and fired again.

"You bi-" Allyson cursed but was interrupted as her entire body became engulfed in flames. A deafening scream filled the air, along with the scent of burning flesh. Oshea flipped the safety back on the gun. Smoke was issuing from the barrel. She blew the smoke and shook out the gun before turning to the others.

"Now, about that Happy Meal."

_xx_

The streetlight a few yards from Jael flickered, as she stepped limply through the dark alley. "Castiel," she called out hoarsely. She coughed, spitting out blood onto the concrete. It was only a moment after she had spoken that Castiel appeared. He frowned as he saw the blood on the ground and reached out to steady her.

"Jael, what happened to you?"

"_Who_," She corrected him, wiping a little blood off her chin with the back of her hand. The left side of her face was painted with a large, dark bruise. "_Who _happened to me. Answer: Ezra, that's who."

Castiel narrowed his eyes, lifting a hand to gently touch her jaw, turning her face so he could see the bruise. "Ezra did this? Where is he now?"

"Not a clue. He just popped by, did this, then skipped off to go kick some puppies or something," She said, wincing a bit as he touched her face. Castiel shook his head.

"You're not healing like you should…" He said quietly, lowering his hand from her face. "You spent your power fighting him… you're… you're practically a mortal." He took a deep breath and cupped his hands against her cheeks gently. "You cannot protect Ella this way… I can help…"

"You can? How?"

"I'll give you my power," Castiel said quietly, offering her a tiny smile. His hands began to glow with a bright pale light. He gasped softly when the light had faded from his fingers and swayed a little, catching himself on the wall of one of the buildings.

"You… you didn't have to do that, Castiel.." She said after a moment.

He straightened and shook his head, moving to her. "You're alright now…" He touched her cheek, which was no longer stained with a bruise. "Ella needs you… they… they don't really need me…" He said with a little, slightly sad smile.

Jael smiled a little. "Thank you," She said quietly.

"Anytime…," Castiel said softly, lowering his hand from her face and dropping his gaze a little shyly.

Jael blushed a little and placed her hand on his cheek, staring at him for a moment before leaning forward and kissing him softly. Castiel's eyes widened briefly then closed as he lifted a hand and placed it against her cheek, returning the kiss.


	58. Happy Meals And Saving Seals

Oshea smiled as she sat down Indian style on the end of her and Dean's bed, a red and yellow Happy Meal box sitting in her lap. She opened it and pulled out her little box of nuggets, popping one into her mouth. "Mmm… this is wonderful." She said with a grin. "This almost makes up for me not getting to use my lock picking kit."

Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head, stifling a smile. He looked around the room for a moment and arched a brow. "Hey, have you guys noticed Jael hasn't been around the last couple days?"

Oshea took another bite of her food. "Yeah, but I'm not exactly complaining. It's been nice not having the angels interfere. It's been like old times… just us killing the badies and eating unhealthy food at odd hours."

The lamp in the room flickered for a moment and then Jael appeared by the door.

Ella sighed, shaking her head. "Spoke too soon, Oshea, spoke too soon.."

Oshea sighed. "Well there went my good mood. What do you want?"

"You four are needed elsewhere. A town in Missouri. Carthage, to be more specific."

"Another seal, right?" Ella asked. Jael simply nodded.

"I guess this means no movie night then… it would have been nice to have a normal night with popcorn, chocolate and pay per view." Oshea sighed heavily picking a bit at her food. "Well… maybe I can use my super cool lock pick while we're out and about."

Ella rolled her eyes. "If you mention that lock pick again, it's going to mysteriously disappear. And when I say 'mysteriously disappear', I mean 'thrown under a transfer truck.'"

Oshea lowered her eyes, "Sorry." She said quietly, taking another bite of her chicken. "Okay so… Carthage… let's get going then…"

"Any chance you could just… poof us there?" Ella asked Jael. "At this point a few moments of queasiness sure beats hours on end of driving."

Jael nodded. "I will give all of you a few minutes to get ready," She said, and then disappeared.

Oshea nodded and stood up, leaving her Happy Meal behind as she grabbed the lock picking kit and put it into her suitcase along with her other things. She combed her fingers through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. Sam packed his things and placed them onto one of the beds. "Well… I think Oshea and I are set."

Dean tossed a couple of shirts into his duffle bag and zipped it up, dropping it on the bed. Ella did the same with her belongings and disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments to wash her face. "'Kay, I'm ready too."


	59. Abandon All Hope

_CARTHAGE, MISSOURI_

Oshea gasped, curving her arms around her stomach as she staggered on the empty street. "Oh… man… I think I'm going to be sick…" She said weakly. The queasiness began to fade, and she straightened a little, looking around. "Wow… this place is… completely empty…"

"I'm glad I decided not to eat anything," Ella said, frowning.

Dean glanced around. "Well that was awfully kind of Jael to just poof us here and then disappear without us knowing what in the hell we're supposed to do," He said sarcastically.

Oshea grunted, pulling out her gun and leaning it against her shoulder as she spun in a slow circle, looking at the empty buildings and the abandoned cars. "Well… I guess we'd better see if there is anyone still here first… maybe we can find out what happened."

"This place looks like a ghost town," Ella said. "Wait a sec, where did my gun go?" She pouted, looking at Sam and Dean, who were both holding shotguns. "So not fair."

Oshea stuck her tongue at Ella with a little smile. "You don't get to have weapons. And no people means lots of lock picking!"

"Jokes on you, because I don't see your fancy little lock picking kit anywhere," Ella said with a smirk. "Matter of fact, Jael didn't even bother to poof anything else along with us, aside from the weapons. How considerate of her…"

"You two cut it out with the bickering, I thought I heard something," Dean said, hearing a low growling noise. He spun around, and saw a dark haired young man standing in the middle of the street.

Oshea turned, her eyes widening as she looked at the young man standing in the street. She glanced to Dean and Ella then looked back to him, lowering her weapon and taking a step forward. "Jonah…? What… what are you doing here?"

"This… this is Jonah?" Dean asked, looking over at Oshea and then back to Jonah.

"Jonah the demon, Jonah?" Ella asked, as she slid her hand behind her back and pulled out the demon-killing knife from her back pocket.

"Now, now," Jonah said, shaking his head at Ella. "I didn't come here alone." He grinned as he looked down at the damp pavement. There was a loud growl and then something invisible splashed into the small puddle of water.

"Hellhounds?"

"Yep, Dean, is it? I've heard they're your favorite," Jonah smirked.

Oshea stiffened, staring at the road by Jonah. "Jonah… why did you bring those here? What are you doing?" She whispered, taking another step toward him.

"What does it look like, babe? We're throwing you guys a welcome to town party. Good to see you again, by the way. What's it been, like two, three months since our last… _encounter,_" He grinned.

Dean clenched his jaw, glaring at the demon as he raised the shotgun.

"You know that won't kill me. Lose your noggin in Hell, did you?" Jonah shook his head.

Oshea blushed deeply and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "Stop it." She looked to Jonah with a frown. "Jonah… don't do this… whatever you're doing here with your pets… please, for me… just don't…"

"Fine," Jonah said, "But first tell your little boyfriend to let you run along with me, and I'll stop all of this," He shrugged, looking over at Dean.

Dean turned his head and glanced back at Oshea for a few moments, then looking back at Jonah, shaking his head. "I'd rather die."

"So you will," Jonah shrugged. He looked down at the ground beside him and clapped his hands, signaling for the Hellhounds to attack. Oshea looked to Dean,

"Dean… maybe we can talk about this… they're Hellhou-" She gasped as the hounds were sent forward on them. She lifted her gun and fired at one of the places where she could hear the growling. One of the Hounds gave a little yelp and she cocked the weapon again. "Ella, go!"

Dean stood still for a moment, listening for the low growls and the sounds of the Hellhounds paws against the pavement. He fired at one of the invisible hounds and then started running, glancing back every few moments to repeat the process.

Ella looked back helplessly at the group, starting to panic. "Sam! Dean! Oshe-" Her cries were cut off as she was suddenly pushed to the ground and she screamed as she felt something tearing through the flesh of her stomach.

Sam's eyes widened and he rushed forward, shooting at the creature and dropping weapon. He scooped Ella up and started running down the street. Oshea looked from her sister to Jonah. "How could you do this?" She cried as she backed away and turned, running after Sam and Ella. She paused, shooting at the areas where she thought the Hounds were. Sam carried Ella into a small convenient store and laid her down gently, leaning her back against the counter. He took her hand and slowly moved it from the wound. His eyes widened when he saw it and he gave a little gasp before he placed his own hand over the wound. "It… it's not that bad, Ella… it's gonna be fine. You'll be fine, okay?"

Oshea came into the shop, trembling a little as she dropped her gun in the doorway and walked over to Sam. "Oh my God… oh God…"

Dean ran inside the building and pushed the two doors closed. "A little help, Oshea!" He said as he started to chain the doors closed and line the door with rocksalt. Oshea stared at her sister and the blood pooling beneath her. When he shouted at her again, she jerked slightly and turned looking at him with tears gathering in her eyes. She numbly helped him to pull the door shut and grabbed a back of rocksalt, lining the windows and the back door. When she had finished, she dropped the half empty bag of rocksalt and rushed over to her sister's side. Sam stood up and moved away toward Dean. Oshea knelt down beside of Ella. "Ella… I'm so sorry… so sorry…" She whispered as tears ran down her face. She laid a hand over her sibling's wound, looking back to Dean. "We… we have to do something…"

"I know," He said, glancing over at Oshea and Ella. "But how do you plan on us getting by half a dozen Hellhounds, and get Ella to the nearest hospital, without a vehicle?"

"You give me to Jonah like he said!" She said frantically, looking down at her sister's blood bubbling between her fingers and running down her hand. "He said he'd leave if you let me go with him."

"Well we have to do _SOMETHING_!" Sam snapped. "Something _NOW_."

"Demons lie, Oshea. If we hand you over to him, he kills us, and possibly you, too. So, no Oshea, we're _not_ going with that plan," Dean shook his head.

Oshea looked down at the blood covering her hand. "We… we need to do something! She's… oh God…. She's bleeding to death, Dean… I'm not going to let my sister die!" Sam walked over, handing Oshea a roll of bandages. Oshea took them and gently peeled back her sister's shirt, beginning to wrap the bandages around her with trembling hands. "I'm going out to Jonah… then you and Sam can take Ella to the hospital…"

"No, Oshea," Ella said suddenly, her voice quiet and weak. "Dean's right. It's a trap, Jonah's lying. You're not going anywhere, except far from here. As for me, I'm-" She winced as they finished bandaging her. "I'm not leaving this spot."

"What are you talking about, Ella?" Sam said, stopping his pacing to look at her. "We're not leaving you here…"

"We don't really have a choice, do we? The Hellhounds, they have all of our scents now. They won't stop coming after us, you know that. But I… I can hold them off, and you guys can get out of here safely."

"Ella, we're not going to leave you here… they'll kill you…" Oshea said, her voice trembling. "You won't be able to stop them if you're dead…"

Ella coughed, spitting up a little bit of blood. "We… we have enough supplies here. Propane, wiring, rocksalt, iron nails. Everything we need."

Oshea's brows furrowed then her eyes widened as she realized what she was getting at. "No, Ella. Absolutely not! There has to be another way! Sam… Dean… come on… there has to be another way." She said between her quiet sobs, her shoulders shaking.

"There is no other way," Ella shook her head. "Either I die, along with all seven or eight Hellhounds, or we all die. It's that simple. No, Oshea, this _is _the only way. I'm not moving, but this way I can hold them off while you guys get away."

Oshea stared at her sister. "Dean… Sam, get the stuff."

Sam's eyes widened. "Oshea, you can't be-"

"I SAID…," She snapped, closing her eyes. "I said…. Get the stuff… do what she said."


	60. Died In Your Arms Tonight

Ten minutes and four or five bombs later, Ella lifted her head weakly as she saw Sam walking toward her. Sam knelt down beside of her, stroking her cheek gently. "Ella, I…" He paused, not really knowing what to say. "I…" He leaned forward and kissed her lips. He pulled away after a few moments, leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you, Ella…"

Ella smiled a little. "Despite the whole me dying… again, I'm…" She coughed again and winced. "I'm glad we didn't go back to Scotland," She said with a smile. "The food there sucked anyway, and I thought, hey, might as well spend the rest of my days of the impending apocalypse with a freakishly tall, really hot guy while I eat my weight in pie and fast food," She chuckled weakly. "I love you too, Sam Winchester."

While Sam and Ella were speaking, Oshea, her hands and clothes still smeared with her sister's blood, moved to the front of the store with Dean. "Dean…," She whispered, looking very pale. The tears had not stopped falling down her face since they had come into the store. "Dean… I'm not coming with you." She said finally, keeping her eyes down on the floor. Her arms were hanging limply at her sides and she looked utterly defeated.

"What are you talking about?"

Oshea took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Ella… Ella is dying, Dean. She's not… I don't think she's strong enough to do what needs to be done. I'm staying here with my sister. You and Sam go."

Dean swallowed, his eyes wide. "Oshea, you can't…" He turned away and cursed.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. They were supposed to hit town, kill a nasty or two, and then hop back in the Impala. But Dean knew Oshea was right. If it were Sam who had just been a Hellhound's chew toy, if it were Sam laying bleeding to death on the ground, he would be doing the exact same thing. Because he was stubborn. And so was Oshea.

So he swallowed his pride, and turned back to Oshea, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. After a moment he quickly let go and turned away, waiting for Sam and Ella to finish their goodbyes. Oshea returned the hug and took a step backwards, rubbing her upper arm as she looked over to Sam and Ella, who were exchanging a last kiss before Sam rose to his feet, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. Oshea glanced to Dean, staring at his back a long moment as he was no longer looking at her. "I… I lo…," She sighed. "Goodbye, Dean…" She whispered, stepping away and moving to sit down by Ella on the floor.

Sam watched her go, his brows furrowed and moved to Dean and cleared his throat. "So… after Oshea says her… goodbyes… I guess we're… we're going…?"

Dean shook his head, turning away from Sam. "Not Oshea. Just me and you."

"…What?" Sam said weakly.

"She's staying. Someone has to open the doors, and Ella can barely lift her head, so there's no way she can stand up, go open the doors, sit down and hit the detonator. Oshea has to…" Dean said quietly.

Sam swallowed hard, clenching his jaw and nodded. He glanced back once toward Ella as he and his brother left out of the back of the store. Oshea rubbed Ella's shoulder and stood up, walking to the doors and releasing the chains. Her hands were shaking as she pulled open the doors and broke the line of rock salt. As she moved and sat back down at her place beside of her sister, her breathing became hard. Her heart started to be faster. She had been torn apart by Hellhounds before, being blown up couldn't be much worse than that. She glanced toward the door that Sam and Dean had left out of and found herself awash with regrets. She wished that she had kissed Dean before he had left, that she had actually told him how she really felt. That she loved him, but it was too late for that now. She curled her arm around Ella's shoulders and pulled her sister's limp form against hers, leaning her head against Ella's. She wrapped her fingers around Ella's hand that held the detonator.

The hounds began to rush into the store, growling and snarling and brushing against the buckets of rocksalt and iron nails. Oshea felt the sulfuric breath of one of the hounds against her face and she stiffened, closing her eyes before she pressed her thumb down onto the button.

The building was instantly engulfed in flames. Pieces of the roof and walls and the glass from the windows shot out onto the street and fell from the sky as flames and smoke billowed out of the windows and the new holes in the roof.


	61. Beat 'Em Up

Several buses and a taxi later, Sam trudged into the hotel where the gang had been staying when Jael had arrived. Sam frowned a little as he saw Ella's things resting on his and her bed. He sank down onto the edge of it and laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could still smell the aroma of Ella's shampoo on her pillow, which was still a bit wrinkled from where they had slept. All he could think was that it was like Jessica all over again, except he had not felt this deeply for Jessica. Oshea's things were still resting on the bed, a little messily packed. The new and still unused lock picking kit was sitting on top of the zipped up suitcase.

The room was silent for a good ten minutes or more. Dean finally tore his eyes away from Oshea's things, putting on a brave face as he had done on many other occasions. What's done is done. Sitting there wallowing in the pain wouldn't bring Oshea back. But for the first time in years, all he wanted to do was wallow. Sam opened his mouth to speak, to ask his older brother where they went from there. They had dealt with tragedy before, but this… Sam wasn't sure that he could take it. He felt like a child again and more than anything, he wanted his big brother to tell him that everything was going to be okay. That they were going to find a way to get through this together even though things seemed utterly hopeless. He did not get the chance to speak, for as soon as he opened his mouth there was a knock at the door. His heart leapt in his chest and he jumped off of the bed, hoping against hope that it was Ella and Oshea, that they had somehow managed to get out. Instead, he was greeted by the very last person he wanted to see: an angel.

It had been a very long and very frustrating trip for Castiel. He had taken the same buses, though instead of a taxi for the last leg of his journey, he had walked and walked until he could no longer feel his legs or feet. They simply moved mechanically as if locked in an eternal loop. He could still taste Jael's kiss on his lips, though it was tainted by the overpowering bitter taste of betrayal. He should have known that Jael had been in league with Ezra from the start. Should have known when she came to him for aid that he was falling right into their trap. When Jael had informed the others about the seal, he had gone to investigate himself before the others had even finished packing. When he had gotten there, he had discovered Jonah, the hounds, and Ezra, who trapped him in a ring of holy fire in one of the upper floors of one of the many deserted buildings. Jael had released him afterwards, but by that time, the shop was a pile of rubble and Dean and Sam were gone. He had gone back to the last place he remembered seeing them, but because he had foolishly given his powers to Jael, he could not teleport much. It had nearly exhausted him teleporting to Carthage, which is why it had not been hard for the others to trap him. He had decided to conserve his little remaining power in the case of emergencies. He had spent the long ride thinking about Jael and how she had betrayed him. He had loved her for so long and with that kiss, he had thought…. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Whatever he had been expecting when he had arrived at the Winchesters, it was not Sam grabbing him by the throat and throwing him to the floor in the room. It was not Sam slamming and then locking the door behind himself. "This is your fault," Sam hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes still a bit red from tears. "You were the one who told us to trust this Jael in the first place. 'She will not betray us. You have my word.' She's the one that did this right? She was supposed to be guarding Ella and she let her DIE!"

Castiel pushed himself slowly to his feet, his brows furrowed. "I didn't kn-"

"What you didn't know? You're a freaking angel! How could you not know?" Sam yelled.

"He was too busy making lovey dovey moon eyes at Jael to realize that she was a two faced liar with a hidden agenda to screw him, and to screw us over at the same time. Isn't that right, Cas?" Dean asked calmly.

Castiel glanced over to Dean, a feeling of shame washing over him. He lowered his eyes. "Dean… I… I do not know what to say…"

"Say you'll bring them back. I don't care if it kills you or if you get trapped in Hell or wherever they are now, bring them back!" Sam said in a rough voice.

"I… I cannot do that. I transferred my power to Jael…" Castiel mumbled softly, blood running down his lower lip and from a cut above his eye.

"You what now?" Dean asked incredulously. "Of course you did…"

"So what you're all humany now?" Sam asked slowly.

Castiel nodded. Sam nodded in return. "Good. It'll be easier to kill you that way.' He said, grabbing Castiel's throat again before driving his fist into the angel's face repeatedly.

"Sam wait," He said, stopping him. When Sam backed away, Dean punched Castiel clear across the face once. "Okay, I'm done. Have at it, I'm going to go get a burger."

Because food is the answer to everything.

_xx_

Sam nodded and grabbed Castiel punching him again and again. Several moments later, Castiel was on his knees on the floor, his arms curved around his stomach. He was doubled over, his forehead brushing against the cool floor as blood poured steadily from his mouth. He was clothed in only his dark suit. At some point, the trench coat had been lost. His breathing was labored; so much so that he sounded like a broken air conditioner, wheezing and stuttering. His eyes were both swollen and bruised, his nose was broken, his lips split. He was sure that there were even a few teeth dripping out of his mouth with the thick blood.

Sam was panting heavily, his knuckles and face spattered with the angel's blood. He gave the angel a final kick in the ribs, sending him to the floor. Castiel laid one his side, not seeming to move. Sam stepped out of the hotel to find Dean eating by the Impala. "So… what now…?"

Dean arched a brow as he looked at Sam's blood splattered face and shirt. A lady passing by them on the sidewalk glanced up from walking her pet Pomeranian. The cheery smile faded as she looked up at Sam and her eyes widened a little, before she hurried away.

"Well, first off, you need to go inside and wash up before people start calling the cops."

Sam glanced down at himself and nodded. "Yeah, I do kinda give off that whole Ted Bundy vibe… Cas is… he's uh… gone." He finally finished, starting to feel just a smidge of guilt as he started back inside.

Dean's eyes widened "Gone?"

"Well… uh… he kinda… wasn't moving… anymore," Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think… I might have broke him…"

Dean stared at Sam before hurrying back into the motel room. He leaned down and checked the unconscious Castiel's pulse. "Well, he's alive. But you probably put him in a coma or something. Good job, Sammy."

Sam stood in the doorway, frowning a little. "Well… dad always said I had his temper," He said quietly. "You think we should uh… call an ambulance?"

"What do you think, Sam?"

Sam cleared his throat and nodded. "Right…" he said quietly as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. A few dark feathers fell about Castiel's back, burning into the floor.


	62. While The City Sleeps

Dean pulled out his own phone and excused himself from the room, stepping back outside. "Hey, Bobby," He said when the older hunter answered the phone on the third ring.

"Hello, Dean, what's going on?" The older hunter said as he looked through his books idly. "How are the girls?"

Dean bit his lip, staring down at the ground in silence as if it was one of the most interesting things ever. Bobby paused in skimming the large book he had been looking through and frowned. "Dean…? Did something happen?" He asked slowly.

Dean sighed. He'd do anything _not_ to have this conversation right now, or ever. "You remember we told you about Jael, right? Ella's supposed new _guardian_ angel?"

"Yeah, I do." Bobby said.

"Well turns out she was doing less of the guarding, and more of the double crossing, leading people to their deaths…" He said quietly. "They're gone, Bobby. Gone gone."

Bobby was quiet a long moment then sighed into the phone. "I'm sorry, boy. You and Sam, you holding up alright?"

Dean paused. "I'm, well, I'm not sure how I'm holding up, and Sam, well he just used Castiel as a human punching bag. And when I say human, I do mean human. Long story short, Cas gave all of his powers to Jael, so now he's not exactly very angel-y. Cas told us we could trust her, and since she led us right at Jonah and some lovable Hellhounds, Sam took it pretty badly. I took a swing at Cas, which is understandable, but Sam… well, needless to say Cas is laying on the motel floor beat to hell and Sam's on the phone with the ambulance."

"Your brother broke angel boy?" Bobby said with an arched brow into the phone. "Give the phone to your brother."

Without a word Dean stepped back inside the room, silently the passing the phone to Sam. Sam furrowed his brows a little before taking the phone from him and placing it against his ear. He grimaced as Bobby began to shout at him and he yanked the phone away from his ear, holding it away while Bobby yelled. After a few moments, the yelling died down and Sam placed the phone to his ear again with a sigh. He flipped the phone shut after a few more minutes and sighed. "Bobby's on his way… so is the ambulance I told them to hurry."

"Good," Dean muttered.

"Bobby mentioned on the phone that he had a case for us. Something… something about what he thinks is a banshee attack. It's a spirit of death from… Ireland and Scotland…," He said very quietly, lowering his eyes. "He thought that since Ella and Oshea were from around there they might know of it and how to stop it but… well… he said under the circumstances we didn't have to take the case… that there were other things that needed our attention if you'd…. if you'd rather not." Sam said with a little shrug.

"A case is a case, so if you're up for it, I don't see any point in not doing it," He said with a nod.

Sam nodded and looked down at the girls' things that rested on the bed. He grabbed Ella's suitcase and slung the strap over his shoulder along with his own suitcases. He glanced to Dean as he started passed him and gave a little shrug. "You never know…" It wouldn't be the first time someone had come back from the grave. The only trouble was that this time, Castiel, the angel who normally dragged their souls from wherever they had been sent, was lying on the floor of the motel bleeding. After he had placed the things into the back of the Impala, he climbed into the passenger seat. It was going to be strange riding without them.

Dean grabbed his own belongings, and, without even thinking, Oshea's as well, and with one last glance at Castiel, he turned and left the motel, loading his things into the Impala, and hopping in the drivers seat.


	63. A Kitten Named Castiel

_GOODLAND, KANSAS_

It had been a long and quiet drive to the motel, which was some seedy looking joint on the edge of town. Sam could not help but think that if they had had the girls with them, they would never have stayed in such a dump. The beds were thin, the mattresses were tattered and the sheets bore dried on stains of various colors and unknown origins. When Sam had flicked the light on to the room, he had counted at least three roaches that had scurried for cover beneath the shadows of the beds. He sighed, placing his and Ella's things on the end of his bed before laying down on it, fully clothed.

"Dean…?" He questioned softly. It was very late, but he could not sleep. All he could think about was Ella and how the Hounds had made her their personal chew toy. "Do you think… do you think they're in Hell?"

"Well none of us exactly fit the Heaven's Most Wanted List, unless you mean the fact that 99% of the angels we have met have _wanted_ to kill us. But…" He trailed off. "I don't know. Probably."

Sam frowned, his brows furrowing. "What's it like… down there I mean?"

Dean shook his head. "It's Hell, Sam."

"It's not fair," He said after a moment, the bed screeching as he climbed from it and started to pace a little. "After everything that all of us have done… all of the pain we've gone through trying to fix this stuff for the angels and still all we have to look forward to is Hell… it's not fair."

"Well, the angels are running this show, so we don't have much of a choice," Dean said, rubbing his eyes. "At least Cas has helped us from time to time. He's helped us a lot, actually.."

Sam grimaced a little and stopped, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I sure screwed that up didn't I?"

"On the contrary," A familiar voice said inside of the room. Sam whirled and narrowed his eyes when he saw Zachariah standing there. The elder male was smiling broadly. "You were magnificent! I knew there was a reason that I let you live, Sam." He said, chuckling as he walked over to the younger Winchester and pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back. He pulled away. "You really cut that insignificant whelp down to size. I just came from the hospital." He shook his head. "I have to say I could not have done a better job myself."

"Oh great, you're here…" Dean said with all the fake enthusiasm that he could muster up.

"Of course! I came to congratulate your little brother on a job well done! I mean, you should see him. He's hooked up to these machines. They say he might not wake up. Wouldn't that be delicious? Some of the feathers of his wings have fallen out and burned. It's just wonderful! He's teetering on the brink of death." Zachariah rubbed his hands together, the broad grin still fixed on his face. "I think you both deserve a reward."

"We deserve a reward for putting one of your angels in a coma? Wow, and I thought _my_ family was screwed up," Dean muttered.

"We all hate Castiel. He's been a thorn in our side since he started to bend the rules to help you all out." Zachariah said with a little frown. His smile quickly returned, however, as he looked between them. "I'm serious, boys. What would you like? I'll give you anything. Money…" He snapped his fingers and there were stacks of hundred dollar bills piled all over the room. "Food." He snapped again; the money vanished and trays of amazing food of all types appeared everywhere. "Oh I know.. Women." He snapped again and women clad in only skimpy bras and thongs appeared in the room, stroking Dean's face and running their hands down his chest.

"What we want, Zachariah, is to beat _you_ into a coma. Now _that's _a reward, for all the crap you've put us all through," Dean said.

Zachariah rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers again, causing the women to vanish. "I'm offering you a chance to have anything you ever dreamed of and all you can do is be a bratty little ball of pus?" The angel said, a frown turning down the corners of his lips. "This is my final offer. We are very grateful for you teaching our wayward brother a lesson…. Do you want our thanks or not?"

Dean was quiet for a moment before he slowly looked back up at Zachariah. "Nah," he said with a shrug.

Zachariah stared at him a moment then nodded. "Fine." He stepped away, his hands clasped at the small of his back. "You know, of course, you could have asked for your little girlfriends to be made whole." He turned around to face the Winchesters. "It is a real shame what happened to them. As if it wasn't punishment enough for Oshea to be dragged down to hell the first time. We can hear their tormented screams all the way in the heavenly courts. You know what that's like, don't you, Dean? Alastair was a terror, but he is nothing compared to who replaced him when Oshea killed him. This new torturer enjoys flaying the skin off of his victims. Branding them with his name… and of course, lets not forget that Jonah now has Oshea right where he wants her. He can go and have his _fiery demonic passion_ whenever he wants now." The angel offered a tiny smile. "But of course that is your decision."

Dean's smug smile turned into a look of pure hatred.

"Bring them back."

The angel only continued to smile. "Well, I don't know. You didn't seem to enthusiastic about it before. Besides, you've made it very clear that you want me to leave. So I will oblige…"

Dean gritted his teeth. "If you leave now, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you."

The smile grew a little larger. "I would love to see you try. But you know you'll never see her again if you kill me. Do you really think any other angel is going to even give you the time of day? Perhaps you could ask Ezra… you could have asked Castiel, but he's busy dying…" He clasped his hands behind his back once more. "You know… perhaps if I go down there, they'll let me have a go with her. What do you think? She was quite pretty after all."

Dean swung his fist at Zachariah's face, but the impact never came. Instead, his hand flew through the air where Zachariah had been standing. Sam frowned, sinking down to the end of his bed as he watched Dean. "Do you think he's telling the truth, Dean?" He said after a moment.

Dean cursed under his breath and he took a moment to calm himself down as he sat down on the end of the other bed. "Probably. You know Zach, he doesn't particularly like us. So if he says they're in Hell, they probably are. They don't exactly find us worthy of the royal suite, so it seems likely he's telling the truth."

Sam sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Dean, we can't just leave them in Hell…"

"Zachariah is gone, and Castiel is curled up in a hospital bed. We're fresh out of allies and fresh out of options."

"I didn't say anything about asking the angels," Sam said a little darkly, looking up at Dean. "They aren't the only ones who can raise the dead."

"What are you getting at, Sam?" Dean asked, over at him worriedly.

"We can always find a crossroads…" Sam said after a moment, keeping his eyes down. "I'm sure there would be plenty of demons that would oblige."

"Sam, no," Dean shook his head. "As soon as Ella or Oshea would come back, they'd kill us themselves for doing something like that."

"They'd never have to know. When it came time for us to … to pay the bill we could just leave. Say we had to do something and it would look like we got killed on a job or something." Sam lifted his shoulders. "And besides even if they did find out… wouldn't you rather have them alive? Dean, they're being _tortured_ in _Hell_."

"Sam, just sto-"

"Oh forget it, Dean. Its perfectly fine if you do it to bring me back, but anyone else isn't worth it?" He stood up and made for the door, throwing it open and slamming it closed behind of himself.

_xx_

It was 2:52 am, and Dean was wide awake, channel surfing on the motel room's small television's cable channels. He was sipping on a Coca-Cola that he had gotten from the vending machine outside the motel earlier, when he heard the door creak open quietly. Sam staggered into the room obviously hiding something in his coat as he stumbled over to his bed. Dean arched a brow as he propped himself up by his elbows. "Uh, Sammy?"

Sam looked up at Dean and flopped down onto the end of his bed. There was a small mew from he coat and he pulled out a pure white kitten with blue eyes. He shed his coat and held the little cat against his chest, stroking it's head as he gave a little hiccup.

"Sam?" Dean said again, raising his eyebrows. "Would you mind explaining to me _why_ there's a kitten in our motel room?"

"Cause…," Sam said, his voice slurred. "Because its white and pure… and I named it Cas… it reminds me of Castiel b-before I broke him…" He said before giving a little half sob.

Dean stared at Sam for a good ten seconds before he shook his head. "You're drunk. You're usually a happy drunk though, but… _this_… this is just sad."

"I'm _not_ d-drunk," Sam said as he stroke the kitten's fur. "Not…dr-drunk. I'm… I mean… my girlfriend just got blown sky high.. And I find out she's getting her skin ripped off in Hell and… and there's nothing I can d-do about it… and I hurt one of m-my friends… Cas is hungry…"

Dean rolled his eyes and stood up from the bed. "Sorry to break it to you, Sammy, but yeah, you're drunk. And 'Cas' is going back outside where you found him."

"No… no, Cas has to stay here." Sam said, looking up at Dean. He stood up and swayed, still clinging to the kitten. "I have to… take care of it… I promised….. Cas doesn't want to leave…"

"Whatever Sam, I'm tired, we'll talk about the cat problem in the morning when you're sober. Go to bed." Dean said, rolling his eyes as he walked to the bed and crawled on top of the covers.

Just as he laid down on the bed, his phone began to ring. He moved his hand over to the nightstand, pulling the phone off it and flipping it open without bothering to check the caller-id. "It is three in the morning, for crying out loud," He groaned. "This better be important."

"Don't get an attitude with me, you idjit." Bobby grumbled. "I have some news for you about angel boy."

Dean sighed. "Sorry, just, there's some stuff going on here involving a drunk Sam and a kitten named Castiel. Ugh, don't ask. So what's up?"

"A _kitten_?" Bobby questioned arching a brow. "Uh… well, we kind of have a little problem, Dean. Apparently Sam really knocked Castiel for a loop. He's in a coma, and the doctors say there's most likely been some neurological damage… some memory loss."

"Memory loss? _Crap,_" He turned over on his back, and then sat up in bed. "Do they know when he's going to wake up?"

"No, they don't. Could be couple days, could be couple weeks, years." Bobby said with a little sigh. "I think he'll bounce back quickly. His angel mojo will come back eventually and when that happens, he should be good as new."

"True. Well, give us a call if you find anything else out," Dean said, glancing over at Sam in the corner of his eye, noticing he had passed out, snoring loudly, with the kitten curled up on his chest.

"Will do. Now what is this about Sam and a kitten?"

"Sam came in drunk hiding a white kitten under his coat," Dean sighed. "Named it Castiel, says he has to _take care of it."_

"Isn't he normally a happy drunk?" Bobby said as he sat down in the chair by a small table in Castiel's hospital room. "Anyway… you need to keep him away from the wildlife and the nightlife. You both have to concentrate on this case. It's serious."

"Will do. We're hopefully gonna get a good nights rest, settle out this kitten thing in the A.M., then start on the whole Banshee thing. We're already in town."

"Good. If you boys need anything, I'm just a phone call away. Dean… are you okay? You know… if you want to talk about anything… I'm here. I've only got my books and captain comatose here to keep me company at the moment."

"Thanks Bobby," Dean said, then quickly flipped the phone closed, putting it back on the nightstand. Talking about stuff wasn't exactly Dean's strong suit, and he planned to keep it that way.


	64. Angel In A Coma

Sam groaned as he pulled the covers over his head to block out the sun that was spilling through the window. He ran his fingers through his hair. The white kitten, Cas, climbed up and crawled beneath the covers, nuzzling against his face. "Uh… Dean?" He said weakly, pushing back his covers and squinting in the light as he pulled the kitten into the crook of one arm. "When did we get a cat?"

Dean chuckled. "You don't remember? Of course you don't, you were totally out of it. You named it Castiel, then you cried, then you passed out. It's times like those I wish I had a camera."

"Oh god my head," Sam groaned, flopping back onto the bed. The kitten in his arms gave a little mew of surprise as it crawled over his chest and licked his face. "Speaking of Castiel… heard anything from the hospital?" He asked, stroking the kitten's fur.

"Bobby called right after you conked out last night. Cas is in a coma, and they think there's some possible memory loss. It doesn't seem too good right about now, but Bobby thinks he'll pull through."

"Coma…? Memory loss? Doesn't sound good at all." Sam said with a sigh. "I just… I can't do anything right… nothing…" The kitten mewed and he looked at it, tilting his head. "Well… I did save you I guess… we keeping it?"

Dean arched a brow. Just about as he was about to say something, he went into a short little sneezing fit, and then looked over at the kitten, glaring a little. "I think I'm allergic to Cas."

"Well… we can just keep him around until we leave right? We can find someone to take him…" Sam said with a little smile as the cat leapt up onto his shoulder and sat down there.

"Yeah yeah fine, whatever," Dean rolled his eyes. He sneezed again. "He can stay in the room while we go and get some coffee. You definitely need some after last night."

"Yeah, coffee would be good." Sam plucked the kitten off of his shoulder and sat it down on the bed. "So.. What is it that we're here to kill again?" He questioned, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Bobby says it's a Banshee. He told me a little bit about it, but you should bring your laptop along just in case."

"Okay… I'll pull it out and we can do some research." He ran his fingers through his hair again and sighed some, climbing out of bed. "Keep an eye on little Cas. I'm going to take a hot shower and vomit some. Then I'll be ready for coffee." He said, grabbing some fresh clothes and walking into the bathroom.

Dean nodded as Sam left the room, glancing over for a moment at the kitten that sat on Sam's bed.

Cat Cas stared right back at him. Dean sneezed.

_xx_

Sam climbed out of the shower about ten minutes later, rubbing a towel over his damp hair. His head still ached and his throat was hurting from him getting sick from drinking so much last night. He grabbed up his laptop case from his bed, looking around for Dean and little Cas.

Dean slid behind the wheel of the Impala, and pulled it out of its parking space at the bottom of the parking lot, intent on bringing it to the front of the motel and picking up Sam from there. Halfway across the parking lot, the car jumped a little, followed by a loud THUMP! Dean's eyes widened a bit as he looked in the rearview mirror. "_Craaaaaap…"_

Sam rubbed his eyes as he stepped from the motel room, pushing the keycard into his wallet. He saw Dean driving over and he waved his hand a little, starting across the parking lot. He would have to tell Dean to stop at a drugstore so he could get some medicine for the killer headache.

Dean slowed down and stopped beside Sam. As Sam got into the car, Dean nervously fidgeted with the radio, settling on Foreigner's "Long Way From Home." Sam climbed inside and settled down in the passenger seat, his laptop on his lap. He yawned some and rubbed his eyes again. "Hey, Dean, did you see little Cas? I looked for him in the room, but didn't see him."

"Nope haven't seen him," He said quickly as they drove away from the motel and started down the road. "So, having a fun hangover?"

"Oh definitely," Sam said with a weak smile as he sank down a little in the seat. "We need to stop by a drugstore so I can stock up on some pain meds. I checked our stash, but we're out. We're also going to need some more bandages and things." He paused a moment then glanced over at Dean. "I'm sorry about going off and getting drunk on you last night… I just… I feel helpless. Ella's suffering and there's nothing I can do… It's like Jessica all over again…"

"I killed Cas," Dean said quickly. As much as he didn't want to talk about the cat he had just brutally ran over, it was a much better topic of conversation than their dead girlfriends.

Sam sat up quickly, his eyes growing wide. "You did what? And Bobby let you!"

"What? Oh no, I meant the cat," Dean said, slowing the car to a stop as they reached a red light. "And technically I didn't kill him. The car did."

"My cat is dead?" Sam said flopping back against the seat. "I have a pet for less than a day and it dies. You know… maybe I should skip the coffee and just get more alcohol."

Dean rolled his eyes. "We're getting coffee, not alcohol, and definitely no more pets," He said, shaking his head. They pulled in the parking lot of Al's Diner, a small, cozy establishment on the outside, but smoky, crowded, and loud on the inside. The majority of the patrons were large trucker men, and a couple of middle aged women trying to wear clothes that you would normally see on girls in their twenties.

Dean and Sam made their way to an empty booth on the farthest corner of the diner, and sat down.

Sam pulled out his laptop and sat it down on the table, flipping it open. "Well, amazingly this place has a wifi connection." He went onto the internet and began to tap a few keys on the keyboard. "Alright… banshee. Irish and Scottish legend of a fairy that screams or wails to warn people of a coming death. If there are several banshees gathered in one place then it means that someone important or holy is going to die. Sometimes the banshees leave silver combs and when a person picks it up then that person will be spirited away by the banshee. They can appear in various forms: ugly old hag, a gorgeous woman of any age that suits her, hooded crow… it's known in Celtic lore as the hag of the mist."

"I bet they _love _that nickname," Dean snickered, looking up as an older woman approached their booth holding a pad of paper and a pen.

"Hey there. What can I get you two?" She said, smiling.

"Hm? Oh… uh… coffee, black." Sam said, glancing up at her then back down at the computer. "Oh, Dean, listen to this. They have also been referred to as fallen angels, demons."

The woman arched a brow.

Dean looked up at her and smiled politely. "I'll have the same. And a…" He glanced through the flimsy menu book on the table. "A bacon cheeseburger." He handed her the menu.

She nodded slowly, taking the menu, still eyeing Sam carefully as she walked away. Sam pressed a few more buttons on the keyboard, ignoring the look she gave him. "Demons. Think this could be a seal thing, Dean?" He said without looking up. He did not wait for an answer before continuing. "They normally stick around a particular Irish or Scottish family and do not leave until every member of the family has died and been buried. They either love their family or hate them. Some people say that the banshees get their prophetic knowledge because the members of the family each have a silent Observer that reports back to her. Supposedly they don't follow their families to foreign lands but… apparently this one did. Oh, it has some family names of some of the banshees: Kavanagh, Kearney, Coughlan, Breckenridge, Blair, Darrow, Bla…" He froze as he saw the name and stared at the computer screen.

Dean arched a brow, leaning back in the seat, his hands resting on the table. "What?"

"Blackwood," Sam finished quietly.

Dean's eyes widened. "So what does that mean? They were… related to some banshee, or what?"

"Means that their family had a demonic woman and her lackey following them around to prophesy their deaths." Sam said, running his fingers through his hair.

"You're kidding me…" Dean muttered. "This is insane…"

"It's possible that this banshee followed them here and now it's hanging around another member of the family. Ella could have some family living here…" Sam said with a small frown as the waitress came back with their food and drinks.

Dean nodded at the woman and thanked her quietly as she walked off. "Could be. We'll have to-" He was interrupted when the intro to Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" started to play from his jacket pocket. He pulled out at the cell phone, arching a brow when he looked at the caller-id before he flipped it open. "Chuck?"

Sam's brows furrowed and he looked up over his computer. "Chuck?" He mouthed then he narrowed his eyes. "Ask him why he didn't tell us about Jael or Jonah and the Hellhounds."

"Dean! I'm really glad I got a hold of you. I was afraid I wouldn't reach you before you ditched this phone." Chuck said quickly. "I really need to talk to you. I've been seeing things and I thought I'd give you a little heads up."

"Heads up? Like when you gave us a heads up about Jael leading Ella and Oshea to their deaths? Oh wait, you didn't do that, did you?" Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"Look, Dean… I'm really sorry about that. But if I had told you about that then… then you would have tried to stop it and this is the way it needs to be." Chuck said quietly. "They would have died some way whether you had stopped Jael or not. Everyone dies at some point, Dean. This was their time. You… you also can't ask for them back. Summon Zachariah and tell him you don't want them back… or something."

"Chuck, you do _not _have a say in this. Zachariah already told us no. Oshea and Ella are staying dead, you happy? So screw you very much," He slammed the phone closed and sighed.

Sam frowned as he watched his brother. "What did he say, Dean?"

"He said for us not to try to bring back Ella and Oshea. That it was 'their time.'" He shook his head. "He had some other news though, but we didn't get to talking about that."

Sam shook his head, taking a drink of his coffee. "Forget him, Dean. We don't need some high and mighty prophet to help us. We can do this ourselves. The deaths have all been concentrated in this particular part of town. Apparently these things can't venture too far from the person they're watching over. I say we go talk to some people, try to figure out if any Blackwoods live around."

He nodded as he started in on his burger. "Sounds good to me."


	65. Wailing Its Haunted Tune

Sam sighed as another door was shut in his and Dean's face. It had not been a productive day at all. They had wandered through the area where the deaths had taken place for hours, going to homes and stores guised as FBI agents, asking if anyone knew of a Blackwood that lived around, but no one had. The sun was starting to go down as the Winchesters walked down the sidewalk. "Okay, so now what? There's no way the banshee could be here if there's no one from the Blackwood family here. Unless it's not tethered to the Blackwood family in which case we've wasted our time."

Dean shrugged a little as they reached the Impala that had been parked a few yards down next to the sidewalk. "I'll call Bobby when we get back to the motel, see if he can do a little digging, calling around."

Sam climbed into the car and sighed. "Yeah, okay. I can do a little digging myself. I'll look into the phone book, other town records..." As they started down the street, there was suddenly a piercing wail that cut through the silence of the evening.

"What the hell?" Dean said loudly, jumping in his seat. He glanced in the rearview mirror, out the front windshield, then out his rolled down window, but saw nothing.

Sam stiffened, "I bet that was it." He said, looking to his brother. "Dean!" He cried, pointing in front of them as a slender female appeared, standing in the road. Her feet were bare and she was clothed in a lovely white dress. Her dark hair was flowing in front of her face and her head was tilted down. Her form flickered and she suddenly was standing just in front of their car. She flickered again then suddenly was sitting on the dash in front of Sam. She leaned forward and ran her hands down his chest, finally tilting her head up. Her hair fell away to expose her face, and Sam gasped, his eyes widening. "E-Ella..." The creature flickered again and screeched. Sam lifted his hands and covered his ears, grimacing. She tilted her head. "Help me..." She whispered in a low voice before her form flickered again. and she was out of the car, standing in the yard of one of the houses nearby. Sam flung off his seatbelt and shoved open the car door, "Ella!"

Dean's eyes widened as he jumped out of the car. "Sam! Sam it's not her!" He yelled after him.

Sam ran across the road not looking to see the car that was coming down the road. It clipped him on the side and he staggered slightly but kept going to the yard where the ghostly form stood. She curled

her arms around herself, flickering again. "Help me..." She said again before she disappeared. Sam reached the spot where she was just as she disappeared and he cursed, looking around the front yard before he started toward the house.

"Sam!" Dean yelled again before starting to chase after him.

Sam limped a little toward the house, his hip and leg aching from where the car had struck him. He frowned a little as he glanced through one of the windows, seeing a male moving to close the curtains. The male caught sight of Sam and smirked slightly, his eyes flickering black before he shut the curtains. Sam's eyes widened a little and he waited for Dean to reach him. "Dean, there are demons inside."

Dean turned and ran back to the Impala quickly, opening the trunk compartment and grabbing Ella and Oshea's demon killing knife, and a shotgun. He ran back up to Sam after slamming the trunk closed, and handed him the shotgun. Sam took the gun and cocked it, going up the front stairs. "Police open up!" He shouted. When no one opened the door, he took a step back and kicked open the door limping inside, holding the shotgun up and ready. He took a step inside and slowly moved into the living room, pausing as he saw a man's body sprawled on the floor by the couch, blood staining the carpet beneath him.

Dean walked a little further in the home, clenching the handle of the knife tightly. He stepped into the kitchen where he saw a brunette woman bound to a chair; her wrists were tied to each of the armrests and her ankles were roped together. Tears stained her cheeks and there was a small bleeding cut above her left eyebrow. "Please h-help me..." She whimpered.

When Dean stepped forward, he heard a man's voice behind him. "We figured it was only a matter of time before you Winchesters showed your faces around here."

Dean turned around quickly, raising the knife. Another demon stepped through the door way, pulling along a now weaponless Sam. He let go of Sam's arms and pushed him into the room with Dean, blocking the doorway as the other male demon continued to talk. "You guys really have a bad habit of shoving your nose in stuff that does not concern you."

Sam staggered into the room, turning to glare at the demon that had shoved him inside. Another male demon moved up behind the woman, patting her cheek as the banshee appeared in the room, flickering and wringing her hands. "Now what did we tell you? You weren't supposed to bring the Winchesters to our doorstep. And what happens when we disobey?" He pulled out a knife and drew it across the the woman's cheek. The banshee gave a little screech of alarm.

"What the hell is this? And who is she?" Dean asked, nodding towards the woman in the chair. "And Miss Flickers A Lot, huh? Is that supposed to be some kind of joke? Because it ain't that funny," He said, glaring at the demon

"This is Amber Baldwin... or as she was known before she was married, Amber Blackwood. And that," The demon said, pointing the knife that was dripping blood toward the flickering figure. "Is the banshee that is guarding the Blackwood family." Sam stared at her even though he knew it wasn't Ella, he could not get over the fact that something that looked just like her was so close. The demon straightened. "You see, Dean, this particular banshee likes the family she is supposed to guard. She'd hate for Amber here to die before her time so she is doing a little favor for us... gathering a few souls so we can break one of those pesky seals."

"Well, your fun stops now. Let the girl go," Dean said.

"Or what?" The demon blocking the door spoke up. "You'll put that little pig stick to use? There's no way you'd be able to take all of us down," He chuckled. "Without losing a few limbs of your own, at least."

The demon standing near the girl shook his head. "Besides, we have a good gig going here. We don't have to do anything. We just let the little banshee do all of our dirty work."

"Good to know you demons are slacking off and just having random spirits do the work for you. You guys must be exhausted from all that hard work," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

The demons had just opened their mouth to speak when the lights began to flicker. The building shook and a bright light shone through the windows as a high pitched screeching tore through the building. The demons' smug smiles vanished as their eyes widened and they started to flee the room. The Winchesters shielded their ears and eyes. When the light cleared and the screeching ceased, the brothers found the demons sprawled on the floor and a handsome young man with shaggy black hair was freeing the woman tied to the chair. The young man looked up with a tiny smile. "Hello, Dean... you miss me?"


	66. Back From The Dead

The demons had just opened their mouth to speak when the lights began to flicker. The building shook and a bright light shone through the windows as a high pitched screeching tore through the building. The demons' smug smiles vanished as their eyes widened and they started to flee the room. The Winchesters shielded their ears and eyes. When the light cleared and the screeching ceased, the brothers found the demons sprawled on the floor and a handsome young man with shaggy black hair was freeing the woman tied to the chair. The young man looked up with a tiny smile. "Hello, Dean... you miss me?"

"That depends, who are you?"

"Come on, Dean." He said with a little chuckle. "I may not look like a Jonas brother anymore, but it's still me. New and improved." He straightened as he finished untying the woman from the chair. "I'm

Joel. The archangel."

Dean arched a brow. "Uh, you mean the dead one?"

"Well I was dead." Joel said with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest. "Uriel killed me. It wasn't very fun either, let me tell you. But, I was brought back and promoted. I'm an archangel now." He said with a smile. "And I got an older looking vessel. Though I still look younger than you grandpas." He grinned. "When I was sent here to take care of a seal, I had no idea that it was you both I was coming to

help. Even archangels can't see you guys with the branding still on your ribs."

Dean nodded. "So what do we do about..." He trailed off as he nodded his head over at the flickering banshee. "That?"

Joel turned and looked at the banshee, his brows furrowing. "Well... you don't have to do anything." He said quietly, turning back to them. "The banshee won't harm the people of this family. It will remain with them..." His voice trailed off and he looked between them a moment. "Ella... Ella.. is dead?"

Dean nodded, looking away. "Oshea too. It was... very recent." He cleared his throat after a moment, looking back to Joel.

Joel looked a little pained at the news. He lowered his eyes. "Oh... I am sorry." After a moment, he lifted his eyes and offered them a small smile. "Your work here is done. You should go back to hotel and get some rest."

Dean nodded. "Guess it's a good thing you popped in when you did. We're staying at the Summer Ridge Inn in case you need to find us. Room 302."

"Thank you, Dean. I will finish up here and come find you there. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we are going to stop the demons from breaking anymore seals."

"Oh joy," Dean muttered sarcastically as he and Sam walked from the house back to the Impala, grabbing the shotgun that the demon had snatched from Sam before, and then they drove back to the motel to give Bobby Singer a call.


	67. South Of Heaven

_SIX MONTHS LATER..._

The ebony sky was ablaze with pale, glistening stars and galaxies of various colors smeared about the sky like blotches of glowing paint. A few of the twinkling orbs shot across the sky, splashing onto the field of tall, swaying stalks of wheat, which was white as if ready for harvest. Three figures moved through the stalks. The first was a young boy clothed in a loose white shirt and pants. His dark, shaggy hair was dancing about his face as he pushed aside the stalks, happily fleeing a tall young woman wearing a pure white gown. "I'm going to get you, Christopher!" She said as the little boy darted away, laughing. His pursuer was slender, her thick red hair bouncing around her freckled face. She held up the skirt of the flowing white gown as she ran. The field dwindled until it spread out into a grassy plain that led to an old looking building. Christopher had slowed and his brows lifted as he took the female's hand.

"The Roadhouse...I've never been here before. Let's go check it out, Oshea!"

Oshea nodded. "Ella, come on!" She called over her shoulder with a grin as Christopher tugged one her hand and led her into the building. A slender male wearing a blue button down with torn off sleeves was standing behind the counter of the bar. His light brown hair was styled into a messy mullet; the long pieces were flung over his shoulder. He looked up and grinned as the group entered.

"Well, hello there ladies! And... midget." He said, walking around the counter.

Even though they had never personally met, Ella recognized him immediately as the man Dean and Sam had described as Ash. Lynard Skynard Roadie look-a-like is what they had referred to him as, but they were also told not to be fooled by his looks: he was a genius.

"Ash?"

"I see my reputation precedes me," Ash said with a grin as placed his hands on his hips. "Don't tell me, let me guess. You're Ella, right? And Oshea! And... I don't know you." He said, gesturing toward Christopher.

Oshea grinned. "This is our brother, Christopher. How did we get here?" She asked looking around. Ash walked back around the counter.

"Oh, I just hacked into your heaven so I could say 'howdy!' Plus Sam and Dean made you both sound so hot I wanted to meet you personally." He grinned and winked at them. "So, can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'll take something!" Christopher piped up, pulling away from Oshea and scrambling up onto one of the tall barstools. Ash arched a brow.

"Aren't you a little young, sport?"

"What are you talking about? It's not like I'm in danger of dying!" Christopher complained with a little whine.

"I don't know... I'd still feel a bit weird. You're _muy, muy _underage."

"Chris, no," Ella said, rolling her eyes. "Dead or not, you aren't getting any beer." She looked up at Ash. "I on the other hand would love one," She smiled. "So wait, there's more than one Heaven?"

Christopher groaned and his shoulders slumped as he laid his chin down on the edge of the bar. Oshea sat down beside him with a little chuckle and looked up to Ash. "I'd like one, too." Ash pulled out a few cans and placed the girls' drinks on the counter in front of them before pulling a pocket knife from the waistband of his pants.

"Oh yeah, there are tons." Ash said, flicking the knife open and grabbing his can. "Everyone has their own and you can travel between them. You know, visit people? I've figured out how to hack into everyone's. I go all over the place." He stabbed the knife into the beer can and cut a slit into it before bringing it up to his mouth. He pressed his lips to the side of the can and downed the liquid before crushing it in his hand and dropping it to the ground. He gave a little burp and cleared his throat. "If you want, I can take you around sometime. Is there anyone in particular you'd like to meet?"

Ella and Oshea both exchanged glances as Ash downed the beer. Ella laughed a little and opened her own can, taking a small sip. "None that I can think of at the moment. I'm pretty content here," she said with a smile as she took another sip.

Oshea chuckled and took a bit of her own drink. Ash smile at the both of them and nodded. "If you ever change your mind, let me know. I've met all kinds of people. Johnny Cash, Andre the Giant... Einstein. That man can mix a white Russian." he said appreciatively with a nod.

"Einstein? You just walked right into Einstein's heaven and had a drink with him?" She stared at him incredulously.

Before he had a chance to say anything, the whole room started to shake. The lights above them burst, sending glass from the light bulbs falling around them like rain. Bottles of various types of alcohol behind the bar shattered and the room was suddenly enveloped in a bright, white light.

Oshea gasped and lifted her arms to shield herself from the falling glass. "What's going on?" Her question was drowned out by a chorus of high pitched screeching, and she felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, she was being pulled downward. The floor gave way beneath her and she screamed as everything went dark.

She opened her eyes slowly, groaning as her body ached. It was so dark. Where was she? And what had happened to Ella and Christopher? Lifting one of her hands, she pressed it upward and stiffened when she found it was resting against some form of lid. After a quick, frantic search, she discovered that she was inside of a coffin. What was going on? Screams tore through her aching throat as she began to beat her fists against the coffin, trying desperately to get out. Although neither of them knew it, Ella's coffin was a few feet over in the dirt right next to her sisters. She barely heard Oshea's muffled cries and pounding on the coffin lid, but only just barely. "Help!" She shouted, but to no avail. She screamed until her throat felt like it was going to bleed. She clawed and punched at her coffin until her knuckles actually did bleed.

Oshea clawed at her coffin, tears running down her face as her nails broke and blood ran down her hands. The lid of the coffin finally gave way and dirt began to flood the wooden box. Coughing, she began to frantically dig upwards through the dirt.

It seemed like an eternity while they were digging. Ella was the first to breech the surface and as soon as her hand broke through, it was grasped by a strong hand and she was pulled out of the earth. A handsome young man with shaggy black hair wearing a black suit clung to her hand, kneeling down beside of her. "Ella... are you okay?"

She coughed and gasped, her lungs pleading for air. After a moment, when she felt as if she could breathe again, she looked up at the man. "Who-?" Her question was cut off as someone started to climb out of the dirt next to her.

The young man stroked back her hair gently and released her hand, stepping over to the other pile of dirt as a bloodied hand reached up. He grabbed her hand and pulled Oshea out. She collapsed onto her side, panting and coughing heavily. The young man knelt down between them, looking to Ella. "It's me, Els... Joel." He said quietly. "I've come to help you and your sister."

"Help? But..." Ella's brows furrowed as she looked around her. "Where... where are we? Where's Christopher... and Ash.." She said quietly. She looked down at her bloodied hands.

Joel's brows furrowed, and he sighed slowly. "Ella... you and Oshea were... this is earth, Ella. You've been brought back from the dead... Ash and Christopher are fine. They're in heaven..."

Oshea's eyes widened as she pushed herself up to her feet, her legs a little unsteady beneath her. "What...? But... no... No! Send us back!"

"I... I wish I could," Joel said quietly.

Ella on the other hand, did not stand up. Her eyes were a little wide as she sat there, on the ground. "Heaven... But why? Why did you tear us out of there?"

Joel shook his head quickly, his eyes narrowed. "It wasn't me, Ella, and when I find out who did it, they are going to be severely punished. This wasn't supposed to happen."

Ella didn't know what to say. She had just been... torn, ripped away from Heaven, and thrown back into life, the life she had just gotten away from. All the responsibilities, all the pain, all the guilt; it started rushing back at her. She felt like she was back in that coffin under the ground: helpless, unable to breathe, unable to do anything but scratch and dig until she finally reached the surface.

"What now?" She asked quietly.

Oshea was standing just a few feet away. She was feeling much the same way as her sister. She had just been torn away from Christopher again. She didn't know what to say. Instead, she just stared at the ground, her expression blank and lifeless. Joel sighed. "I'm going to take you back to Sam and Dean. Would you like that?" he said with a little smile. "They've missed you like crazy."

With the mention of Sam and Dean's names, memories started flooding back at Ella. Jonah, being tore into by the Hellhounds, watching Dean and Sam silently assemble the bombs, the tearful goodbyes... She had forgotten all of that in Heaven. While up there, all she could remember was the good times. In between cases when they'd have a day or two off at the most and they'd just hang around the motel, or when Dean would drag them along to a concert a couple states over. Those were the times she remembered.

She wanted to see them. And yet, at the same time, she didn't. She wanted to return to Heaven. As happy as she was traveling with the Winchesters and her sister, nothing compared to the complete bliss she felt alongside her family. It was Heaven, after all.

She sighed and nodded slowly, knowing she had no choice. The angels were calling the shots nowadays, and for some reason, they wanted she and Oshea back so badly they were willing to take them away from happiness just to accomplish that.

Joel smiled sadly and curled his arm around Ella's shoulders, rubbing her arm lightly and brushing his lips against her forehead. "It's going to be okay..." He whispered. Oshea wandered over to them and Joel curved his other arm around her. He sighed softly and the three vanished.


	68. Haven't We Been Here Before?

_HYDE, SOUTH DAKOTA_

Joel stepped into the old hotel room, moving to the beds where the Winchesters were sleeping. "Both of you get up!" He snapped loudly, moving to them and shoving the heel of his hand against their foreheads. Sam jerked as if he had been electrocuted and sat up quickly, scrambling backward toward the headboard of the bed with a sharp cry.

"Dude! What the hell?" Dean jumped back, glaring at Joel with an annoyed expression. "You guys can't even allow us a couple hours of sleep each night?"

"You do not deserve it," Joel hissed, leaning close to Dean's face. He pulled back and cross his arms over his chest. "I hope that you both are happy. How could you be so selfish?"

"Depends. What are you talking about?" Dean asked, arching a brow.

"How did you do it? Make a deal with some demon, hm? I'd say you managed to talk Castiel into it, but you almost killed him didn't you?" Joel hissed, his eyes glowing white with his anger.

Sam stared. "Joel... look, we have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oshea and Ella are back from the dead!" Joel said finally. "Don't tell me that you had nothing to do with this..."

Dean's eyes widened. "They're back? Don't screw around, Joel, are they really back?"

"Do you think I would lie about this?" He said, looking to Dean with narrowed eyes. He looked between the Winchesters and his expression softened. "You both really didn't know about this, did you...?"

Sam leapt off of the bed. "Where are they, Joel?"

"They're right outside, but you have to understand they have been through a great deal. You'll have to be gentle with them," Joel said with a little frown.

Dean nodded. "Six months in Hell.. yeah, I get the idea."

Joel had already stepped away, not paying attention to Dean as he opened the door. "Ella, Oshea..." Oshea slowly stepped into the room, still wearing a blank expression. None of this seemed real. She glanced up a little at Dean, her arms curled around herself.

Dean stood up suddenly from the bed, staring at Oshea. Ella stepped into the room after her sister, both of them covered in dirt and blood. Sam's eyes widened as he slowly moved toward her. "Ella...? You're bleeding..." He said quietly as he took her hands in his gently. "Come on... we can get you cleaned up..." He said, starting to lead her toward the bathroom. Oshea remained where she was, keeping her eyes down.

Dean watched as Sam and Ella left the room, and then turned his head back to Oshea, his eyes a little wide with disbelief. "Oshea..."

Oshea looked up at him slowly. Her clothes were smeared with dirt and blood was running down her hands. "H-hello, Dean...," she whispered weakly.

"It's... good to see you again... great, actually," He chuckled nervously, looking away for a moment. His expression became serious as he walked over to her, standing in front of her. "I missed you."

Oshea looked up at him, not knowing what to say. She hadn't missed Dean, not because she didn't love him, she did. She had been in Heaven, after all. She nodded quietly.

In the bathroom, Sam brushed a damp washcloth against Ella's hands. "Are you alright, Ells?"

Ella winced as the moisture made her injuries sting. They hadn't really hurt until now. Up until Joel had poofed them to the motel, she mostly felt numb, distant. Even in the motel room, back with Sam and Dean, she was just as distant; the numbness had worn off, replaced with a searing pain in her hands, and the pain from being torn away from her family again.

After realizing she had been staring over at the wall behind Sam for a few moments, saying nothing, she quickly shook her head. "Not really."

Sam watched her a moment and frowned. "I'm sorry, Ells. I didn't mean to hurt you." He looked back down at her hands. "How did this happen? To your hands I mean..." He wasn't sure what to say or how to help her. When Dean had gotten back from Hell, he had just bounced back, but then this was different. They had been in there longer than Dean had. And if four months here was forty years there... how many years was six months? Could they have really been down there sixty years?

"I woke up in a coffin... and we had to dig out of our graves," She replied quietly.

Sam looked up at her, shocked. "Oh... Ella... I'm... I'm so sorry." He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek gently, putting the rag into the sink. "Is there... anything I can do to help you?"

She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "I should get cleaned up. Do you have any of my old clothes?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, of course, we kept everything." He stepped from the bathroom and walked silently through the hotel room. After a few moments, he came back inside, carrying the single suitcase that he and Dean had piled Oshea and Ella's things into. He started to carry it back to the bathroom, but Oshea stopped him.

"No… let me." She took the suitcase from him and quickly went into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. Sighing, she leaned against it and sat down the suitcase. "Do you mind if I stay in here with you, Ella?" She whispered, sitting herself down on the lid of the toilet and pulling her knees to her chest.

"Go ahead," She said with a little nod as she sat down cross legged on the floor and started rummaging through the suitcase.

"What are we going to do, Ella?" Oshea murmured after a moment. "Should we... should we tell them? About being in heaven...?"

"Do they really need to know? It seems a little pointless... they'd feel guilty either way. If we were in Hell, they'd feel bad about that, and if they knew we were in Heaven, they'd feel bad we were ripped away from it," She sighed. "It's better we say nothing for now. Focus on what's happening right now, right? I'm sure the demons are getting down to the final seals, after how long we were gone... we've got work to do."


	69. Teddy

_GREEN RIVER, UTAH_

_xx_

_Hi, I am Teddy. Once you read this you_

_cannot get out. Finish reading this_

_until it is done! As I said, I am_

_Teddy. I am 7 years old. I have no eyes..._

_and blood all over my face. I am dead..._

_If you don't send this to at least 12_

_people I will come to your house at_

_midnight and I'll hide under your bed._

_When you're asleep, I'll kill you._

_Don't believe me?_

_xx_

Patty Buckles rolled her eyes as she scanned the chain email. She closed it out and deleted it before she even finished reading. Glancing at the clock, she winced to see how late it was; she had to get up for class the next day. Standing from her computer desk, she stretched her arms over her head and went to her bed. It was only a few moments before she fell asleep to the sound of a talk show on her small television set. There was a rustling under her bed and the television began to flicker on and off. Patty heard a noise and opened her eyes slowly, only to find a small figure hovering over her. "Hi, I'm Teddy," The figure said in an unnatural, deep and growling voice. And the neighborhood awoke to the sound of her screams.

_xx_

_A FEW WEEKS LATER…_

_xx_

"I think I found a case," Ella said, glancing up from Sam's laptop. She was laying on her stomach across the queen sized bed in the motel room, tapping away at the keyboard in front of her as Dean watched something on tv, shoving his face with food as usual, and Oshea and Sam were watching something on the television.

"What is it?" Sam said as he looked up from the television. Oshea turned to look at her sibling. In the passed few weeks she and Ella had tried to get back into the swing of being on earth. Ella was much better at hiding her feelings and pushing onward. Oshea just could not do that. Most of the time, she wore her feelings on her sleeve. She had been very quiet lately and hadn't been eating much. Not once had she even mentioned her beloved lock picking kit.

"Utah, a town called Green River. Three deaths in the past two months. Could be just murders, but... they were all found in rooms locked from the inside. No sign of breaking and entering whatsoever," She arched a brow.

"Who were the victims? Did they have anything in common?" Oshea whispered, speaking for the first time that day.

"Not that I can tell," Ella said, tapping a few more keys. "The first two victims weren't even from around there. One was a secretary, the other a cashier at a grocery store. The third victim was a college student."

"What do you think, Dean? Should we check it out?" Sam said, turning toward his brother. Maybe a case was just what they needed to get Ella and Oshea out of the obvious slump they were in.

Dean, who was thinking the same thing, nodded. "Killed inside a locked room, sounds just weird enough for us."


	70. The Final Seal

It was dark as the '67 Impala tore down the road. Oshea and Ella were sleeping in the backseat. Sam glanced back at Ella then looked to Dean. "Do you think they're going to be okay?"

Dean sighed, glancing back at them in the rearview mirror and then returning his eyes to the road that was flooded with the bright lights of the Impala's headlights. "Hell is hell, Sam. It's not a headache, or a bad dream, it's not something you just get over," he shook his head. "Give them some time. They won't be over it. It'll always be there, in the back of their minds, like it's still in mine. But they're strong, they'll deal."

Sam shook his head. "Something just doesn't feel right about it... All of this. Joel seemed really angry when he thought that we had brought them back. Why would he be so mad if they were suffering in Hell? And why would Chuck tell us to not ask for them back?"

"Sam, those angels have more mood swings than all of the pregnant chicks in the entire population combined, and Chuck, well... he's Chuck. Maybe he saw it turning out badly or something, I don't know," He shook his head.

Sam nodded and slumped down at bit in the seat. After a while, he sat up and pointed toward a small building. "Let's stop there and get something to eat. I'm starving..." The words Crossroads Gas Station were painted on a white sign over the old door.

Dean veered off the road and pulled up beside one of the gas pumps. He handed Sam a couple wadded up dollar bills amongst a couple twenties and a few fives. "I'll fill her up, you pay, and get us all food with what's leftover."

Sam nodded, climbing out of the car and flipping through the money a bit before he walked into the building. Oshea shifted in the back and blinked, looking around before she climbed out of the car. She stretched her arms over her head and sighed a little, brushing her fingers through her hair before she looked to Dean. "Where are we?"

"About an hour away from Green River," He replied as he finished putting gas in the tank and closed the lid. "Sam's inside getting some food, you hungry?"

Oshea lifted her shoulders in a little shrug. "I suppose I could eat a little something." She said quietly, glancing toward the store. "I'll go inside and see what they have." She stepped away from the car and into the store. The little bell rang as she opened the door and moved inside. When she stepped in, she paused, catching a whiff of a familiar smell. Her eyes fluttered closed and she felt that familiar hunger, her mouth watering a little. It was the smell of demon blood.

Two men approached her, one was a tall, lanky balding man, and the other was a chubby man wearing a plaid shirt and denim jeans. Both had black eyes. A petite woman with curly red hair walked up between them, smiling at Oshea "Well, well, lucky me, look what landed right in our lap," She grinned and then her attention turned to the tall man paying at the register. "Sam Winchester?" She gasped, "Gosh, it looks like we just hit the jackpot today, doesn't it? Oh, I bet anything your dimwitted brother and the protected-by-angels-girl are right outside." She chuckled.

Oshea turned toward them, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Don't you have anything better to do than harrass us? I'm really not in the mood to deal with you all." She said, starting to step between the two men.

Sam turned from the register where he was paying for the random snacks and candy he had grabbed from the shelves. He reached into the waistband of his pants, pulling out the demon killing knife. "What do you want?"

The woman smiled. "Golly, how about an autograph? You see, me and my boys here are just so gosh darn starstruck by you Winchester boys," Sighing, she continued. "We want to kill you, what do you think?" She rolled her eyes. "Really, now, I'd expect that from your brother, but you, Sam? You're supposed to be the brains of the bunch."

Oshea narrowed her eyes and stretched out her hand, concentrating on one of the demons. Sam did not speak, but twirled the knife in his hand and stepped forward, swiping the demon killing knife toward the female.

The female demon rolled her eyes, waving one of her hands in Sam's direction, sending him flying across the room, knocking over a shelf. She turned to Oshea and faked a yawn. "Is that the best you can do? Man, I gotta tell you, you guys don't live up to the hype."

"Can we just kill her already?" The chubby demon spoke up.

"Yeah," The other demon chimed in impatiently. "I hate to interrupt your witty banter, but would it be possible to speed this up a bit?"

"Shut up," She snapped at the two demons and then her glare turned into a grin as she looked back at Oshea. "You know, we actually should be thanking you. And your sis."

Sam gasped as he was flung backwards and struck the shelf, knocking down various cans and bottles. Oshea's eyes widened a little when nothing happened and she lowered her hand, letting it fall limply to her side. Perhaps if they killed her, she could go back to Heaven. "What are you talking about?" She whispered, her brows furrowing.

The woman's eyes widened a little and she laughed. "You mean you don't know? Oh that is just delightful," She grinned. "When you came back, you opened- no, you kicked down a door separating Hell and Earth. It's been fantastic, really. I mean, I've been stuck down there for centuries, trying to get out, and you two gals accidentally pull the trigger that starts this whole shindig? I really owe you two a fruit basket."

Oshea shook her head slowly. "No.. that.. that can't be true." She said quietly. She could not think of a reason for them to lie, though. Could it really be true? When they were torn from Heaven, from their family and new friends, from their peace and happiness... did they really jump start the apocalypse? Guilt crashed over her like a tidal wave, and she felt like she might drown in the surging emotions. She staggered back, shaking her head again. "It can't be true..."

She shrugged. "Believe me, don't believe me, I could really care less. But it makes sense, I mean, why else would that pathetic excuse for an angel lead you there anyway? You were supposed to die, and you were supposed to come back," She paused and then laughed, "It's almost ironic. You're pulled from Heaven, only to be thrown into hell on earth. Only this time the hell is much, much more real."

One of the demons cleared his throat loudly, glaring impatiently in the woman's direction.

"Kill them," The female demon finally said, stepping back. "But make it quick. I'm gonna go make a slurpee then we gotta hit the road. You want one?" She nodded at Oshea and then clicked her tongue. "Oh wait, you'll be a little preoccupied with the whole being dead thing. Oh well, raincheck?" She smiled and then walked away, the two male demons stepping forward.

Oshea stared at the female demon, her eyes wide. When the male demons stepped forward, she stepped back cautiously, glancing around for a weapon. Suddenly, the tip of a knife poked through the Adam's apple of one of the demons. Sam rushed forward, grabbing the knife as the demon collapsed. "Oshea, come on!" Oshea snapped out of her daze and ran for the door, pausing to grab a large can of salt. She yanked it open and poured it in a line across the doorway before rushing to the car. "Dean! Start the car we have to go!" Sam said, a little blood running down the back of his neck from where his head struck the shelves.

Ella remained fast asleep in the backseat, but Dean jumped in his seat, startled by Sam's voice. He quickly cranked the car and looked at them through the opposite window as they fled from the gas station and piled into the car "Dude, what the hell?" He arched a brow at their empty hands. "And where's the food?"

Oshea was panting as she sat beside her sleeping sister. She placed a hand over her mouth, trying to hold back tears. It was their faults. She and Ella had jumpstarted the apocalypse. Sam glanced back at the station as they drove away from it. "Demons. There were a bunch of demons inside."

Dean cursed under his breath. "Well what did they want, I mean other than to kill us?"

Sam grimaced, lifting a hand to his head. "I'm not sure. They threw me into the window and I kinda was out of it for a minute. Did they say anything, Oshea?" Oshea looked up at him then glanced to Dean. After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head.

"No... they didn't say anything. Just the normal stuff..."

Dean nodded. "Well it wasn't a coincidence. Whenever we randomly stumble onto a bunch of demons, it's never a good sign. Something's definitely up."


	71. Surrender To Me

_GREEN RIVER, UTAH_

Oshea sighed as she stepped down the sidewalk, her arms crossed over her chest. Instead of her usual attire, which was more formal, she was clothed in a pair of white jogging shorts and a green hoodie that was only partially zipped up. Her hair was messy and tugged back into a ponytail and there were bags under her eyes from not sleeping well. They had arrived in the city only an hour before and after getting a hotel room and putting their suitcases inside, they had immediately gone out to interview victims' relatives and friends. She was supposed to be talking to the friends of the college girl, but instead she was just wandering about the small, empty park just outside of the college's campus.

He smirked a little as he moved away from the tree, walking towards her with his hands stuck in the pockets of his dark jeans. "Well someone doesn't look too happy to see me."

"You alone or did you bring your... pets?" She said quietly, shivering a little.

"We're alone," He said, now standing in front of her. "Besides, you and your sis blew up my pets, remember?"

"Oh... that's right," She said quietly, keeping her eyes down. "What do you want, Jonah? Are you going to rub it in my face that I'm to blame for... for causing the apocalypse?"

He shrugged. "Quite the opposite. You couldn't have known coming back from Heaven would start the end of the world, and even if you did, the angels did that, not you."

Oshea looked up at him, shocked by his answer. "Oh... well, thank you." She whispered, rubbing her arms.

"I wasn't finished. You aren't strong enough to face what's coming, none of you are, and you can't just run around putting a knife through each demon's throat. If you keep that up, pretty soon there isn't going to be any body else to stab."

"What do you suggest I do, Jonah?" She said quietly, spreading her arms out before letting them fall to her sides. She sighed. "I feel so lost... and numb... and I just... I don't know what to do..."

Jonah sighed. "Well the thing with any door, it can be closed. We just have to find the right one."

"Why, Jonah...? Why are you telling me this? Why are you trying to help after what you did? You killed my sister... and me. Is this another trap? Are you just using me?" Tears had gathered in her eyes and were spilling down her cheeks. "I don't think I could take that again, Jonah. I really don't..."

"Oh, Oshea," He sighed as he put both of his hands on her cheeks, wiping away a stray tear as he looked into her eyes. "Of course I am using you. You think I can do this myself? Whoever starts it, has to end it." He pulled away from her. "Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good apocalypse now and again, but the whole point of us demons' existence, is to make the human race as miserable as possible. That's all fun and games until we run out of people. If demons overrule this earth, there won't be anymore people except for the ones we ride around in. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound all too great to me."

Oshea closed her eyes as he touched her cheeks and brushed her tears away. "At least you're being honest with me." She said softly, opening her eyes. "Fine. Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

He grinned a bit as he turned away, starting to walk. "Follow me."

_xx_

Sam Winchester sat at the end of the bed, holding a box of Chinese takeout in his lap. "Well I wasn't able to find out anything at all from the guys I talked to." He said, taking a bite of his chicken. He had been the last one back from questioning people related to the victims except for Oshea, who still wasn't back yet. He had come into the hotel room, bearing a plastic bag with boxes of Chinese food for the rest of the group. "The cashier guy was extremely normal. Lived with a few friends in an apartment, worked full time at the Piggly Wiggly. Had a steady girlfriend. I checked out the apartment and there was nothing out of the ordinary there either. No hex bags, spell books, etcetera. There was a lot of blood, too, so we probably can rule out vampires. I don't think any of them would be that wasteful."

"Same with the secretary. She worked at a law firm, and the place was spotless. Nothing suspicious in her office, and everyone there seemed to be head over heels in like with her. So if there's any pissed off co-workers out there, they seem to be hiding it very well," Ella said with a shrug as she took a bite of rice from the takeout container.

Sam looked over to Dean, swallowing a bite of his Chinese food. "Did you find out anything? And where is Oshea?"

Dean shook his head. "Nada. Looks like miss law firm secretary is as likeable in her home life as in her work life."

Ella frowned a bit as she held the food container with one hand and flipped open her cell phone with the other. "She should be back by now..." She pressed down the 2 button, which was Oshea's speed dial, and waited as it rang a couple times and then went to voicemail. "Odd," She said flipping it closed and letting it drop back on the mattress.

"Do you think we should go look for her?" Sam asked with a frown as he watched Ella drop her phone onto the mattress.

"I'm sure she's fine... but if she's not back by the time we finish eating we should go check out the campus," Dean said with a nod.

_xx_

When they all had finished eating, Sam volunteered to go to the college campus to check out the victim's roommate while Dean went to the girl's family and Ella stayed at the hotel to do more research and to be there in case Oshea came home. Sam moved through the campus, remembering the time he had spent in college with a hint of sadness. He jogged up the stairs in the dorm building and knocked on the door of the dorm that the victim had lived in.

A petite redhead answered the door a few moments later, dressed in a snug fitting black v-neck top and a pair of skin tight blue jeans. "...Yes?" She said, arching a brow at the tall unfamiliar man standing at her doorway.

"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you. My name's Ethan. Patty and I were really close, and... well after her death I remembered that we had taken a bunch of pictures together while we were hanging out and I was hoping maybe... I don't know, maybe that I could come in and get them?" He said softly, shuffling his feet and trying to act sad.

"Oh, of course, come in," She said, smiling a little sadly as she stepped back to give him room to walk through the doorway. "She's never mentioned an Ethan to me before, then again Patty and I haven't known each other very long."

"We haven't been friends for long, maybe a year or so." Sam said with a nod as he stepped into the room and looked around. "We met during the summer at the beach while her family was on vacation. There was an instant connection. I was hoping to ask her out one day, but never got up the courage... now I guess I never will." He said, pulling out a flash drive from his pocket. "I think they're on her computer. Do you know where it is?"

She nodded, pointing over to the left side of the room to a still slightly cluttered desk. "I haven't gotten a chance to get her things out of here... she and her parents quit speaking not long before she died, quit having anything to do with her, and they won't return my calls." She stepped over to the white Macbook and pulled it open, turning it on and after waiting a moment, she tapped at the keys a few times when the log in screen came up, and then stepped aside. "There you go."

Sam nodded, offering her a little smile. "Thanks. This means a lot to me." He sat down at the computer desk and looking through the files on the computer. When he couldn't find anything, he opened the internet. The college's website appeared on the screen as her homepage. After a few clicks, Sam got to the student email accounts. He clicked on Patty's name and a screen appeared asking for a password. Sam drummed his fingers against the edge of the keyboard a moment before clicking the password hint. _The hottest man alive. _Sam blinked and typed in the usual suspects: Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, George Clooney... Rob Pattinson. When none of them worked, he remembered the pictures of actors he had seen among Patty's files and tried one more. _Jared Padalecki_. He wrinkled his nose a little and rolled his eyes as the account opened for him. After flicking through the normal emails about school and social life, he found one email that stood out to him. _Hi, I am Teddy. Once you read this you cannot get out... _He saved the email onto the flash drive then logged out and closed the windows he had opened before turning back to Patty's roommate. "I think I got everything I need. Thanks again."

"No problem, Ethan," She smiled a little as she watched him leave the room.

x

x

**_A/N: I don't know if I mentioned it in any previous chapters where Jonah was mentioned, but when we wrote him, we pictured Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries. I actually made a Jonah/Dean/Oshea fanfic video that used clips from Supernatural, Vamp Diaries, and clips of Alicia Witt, who we most recently chose was best to portray Oshea. But of course YT with their stupid copyright stuff muted the audio. Oh well. And also in case I haven't mentioned it before, the first version of the angel Joel, the "Jo Bro" version, we pictured him as Logan Lerman, and the new version of Joel is now played by Joseph Gordon Levitt. Jael was based on the looks of Zooey Deschanel, and Ezra was based on Crispin Glover. I think that's about everybody. So when you read, those actors are the ones we suggest you picture those characters as, because thats how we pictured them when we came up with them :)_**


	72. Most Of Us Are Sad

Sam pushed open the door to the hotel room. "Hey guys, I think I figured out what's going on." He said as he walked to his computer.

"Good, because I got diddly squat with Patty's fam. When they did finally open the door to talk to me, they said they hadn't spoken to their daughter in months. They called her an "ungrateful piece of work," and then proceeded to slam the door in my face," Dean rolled his eyes. "Real friendly family, those people..." He muttered, and the looked over at Sam. " So what ya got?"

"Well, when I went to her dorm, I got on her computer to look through some of her files and I found this chain letter," He plugged his flash drive into his computer and pulled up the email that he had saved. He read it out loud. "I'm thinking that this might have something to do with it. Maybe some kind of malevolent spirit uses the email to pick its victims?"

Dean's eyes widened a little and he sat there for a moment before hopping up from the end of the bed, walking over to Sam and looking over his shoulder to reread the email on the page. "It's just an email... it can't possibly mean some scary kid named Teddy is running around killing people who don't do what he says... right?" He scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously.

Sam arched a brow and looked over at him. "Well, I thought it might be just a coincidence, so I did a little checking and all of the victims had the same email... wait.." His eyes widened. "Don't tell me... You didn't, Dean..."

"Hey it's not my fault! All I did was check my email... I skimmed through it and just hit delete, it's a reflex when it comes to those stupid things," He said with a shrug.

"Looks like someone is going to get a visit from Teddy tonight then," Sam said with a sigh. "We're going to have to figure out how to kill this thing. If it is a spirit, we're going to need to find the remains to burn and-" He stopped as the door opened and Oshea stepped inside the room and moved to her and Dean's bed.

"Well look who finally decided to show up. Where the hell have you been, Oshea?" Ella asked.

Oshea looked up, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "I went out to talk to that girl's roommate, but she was gone when I got there. I waited around then got hungry and decided to grab some food. I'm tired... I'm going to bed." She said quietly, grabbing her pajamas and taking them into the bathroom.

All three of them exchanged glances as Oshea left the room, the door closing behind her. Dean arched a brow and sighed, changing the subject. "Being killed by Teddy isn't exactly on my to do list today, so got any ideas?"

"We could search the databases, see how many seven year old boys named Teddy have died or gone missing around here?" Ella suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me, but we'll have to work fast it's getting late." Sam said. "Ella and I will start doing some research. We'll be at the library. We'll call when we find something."

Dean nodded. "I'll stay here, get Oshea updated on the situation."

_xx_

Not long after Sam and Ella left, Oshea stepped from the bathroom, her damp hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of short jogging shorts and a snug tank. She didn't say anything, but moved to sit down on the edge of the bed. "Well, Sam has a pretty good idea what's going on, if you're interested..." Dean said, arching a brow as she walked over to the bed.

"That's nice," Oshea said quietly, not really paying attention. She was lost in her own thoughts. She still could not believe that it was her and Ella's fault that the demons were pouring from this "door" that Jonah had mentioned.

"Hello," Dean said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Is something going on? You've been acting weird for a couple days now."

Oshea blinked and turned to look up at him. She wanted more than anything to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him that she and Ella had been in heaven, that that was why they both were so upset... that they had started the end of the world. "Dean...," She whispered, her words catching painfully in her throat as she tried to hold back tears. "I... I lied... the demons talked to me... the ones at the gas station. They said me and Ella... when we came back... when we were pulled from He... from where we were... we broke the final seal, Dean. We started the apocalypse."

Dean stared at her a moment, his eyes wide. "Demons lie, Oshea... They were just trying to mess with your mind," He said, shaking his head.

"It's true, Dean... Jonah... he appeared while I was out at the campus earlier." She said softly. "He told me that we had broken the last seal. He has no reason to lie about it, Dean... Ella and I... we started the end of the world.."

"You saw Jonah?" He shook his head. "You know what, it doesn't matter, I'm gonna kill him next time I see him. What else did he say to you?"

Oshea shook her head. "Nothing important." She lied quietly. "I'm sorry, Dean. That I lied... I just... I can't believe this. It's my fault these demons have been let out of Hell... I was afraid..." Tears ran down her face, and she stood up from the bed. "Afraid that you would... would be angry at me."

"Hey, you didn't know, okay?" He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "You were ripped out of Hell, it wasn't exactly your choice, Oshea. None of us knew this was going to happen. I'm not too surprised though, I knew there had to be a catch with you coming back, I just didn't know it would be apocalyptic."

Oshea leaned against him, curling her arms around him tightly. She sighed, closing her eyes as a few more tears eased down her face. "You don't understand, Dean... Ella and I, we weren't in He-" She was interrupted as Sam stepped through the doorway with Ella.

"Hey, me and Ella found some information about this Teddy kid!" He said quickly then paused, his brows furrowing. "Is... everything alright?"

Dean looked down at Oshea a moment, before letting her go and nodding. "Yeah, we're good. What ya got?"

Oshea stepped away and moved back to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it with her back to the others. _Yeah... ' we're good.' _She ran her fingers through her hair and laid down on her side. Sam cleared his throat a little. "Um... well, we found out that there used to be a kid who lived here named Theodore, or Teddy. Seven years old, killed by his abusive father. From what I read it sounds like a standard angry spirit. We also found out that the seemingly random group of victims were all connected. The college girl was his babysitter. She saw the dad beating the kid one time and didn't say or do anything... my guess is the kid's trying to get revenge."

"The secretary... the kid's aunt!" Ella said, her arms crossed over her chest. "There's a big possibility she knew about the abuse in some way, and didn't speak up."

"And the cashier guy at the grocery store? What's his deal?" Dean asked.

"His old man's drinking buddy... he was there when... well, when the kid was killed." Sam said with a little frown. "He was drunk and didn't stop the guy. There's an old churchyard behind a small church near the edge of town. Figure that might be where Teddy is buried."

"We'd better go burn the kid's bones before Teddy comes after me. Speaking of which, why's he coming after me? I've never even heard of the kid til now," He said, throwing his hands up in the air and then letting them fall back to his sides.

"Well, you got the email not too long after Sam found the college girl's email, so I guess the spirit knew we were onto him, decided he wouldn't go down without a fight," Ella shrugged.

"If you had just not read the email," Sam began, rolling his eyes a little. Oshea frowned, standing up from the bed and walking toward them.

"An angry spirit is after Dean?"

"Yeah because Dean read it's chain letter of death and like the intelligent guy that he is, deleted the thing." Sam said, arching a brow. "Come on, we only have about an hour until sundown. We need to get the bones burned before it gets dark."

"How was I supposed to know! I've deleted stuff like that before and nothing bad's ever happened!" He rolled his eyes, grumbling something under his breath.


	73. Undercover Of The Night

It was dark by the time that the Winchesters and the Blackwoods reached the churchyard that was nestled behind the small church. A large tree shadowed the graves and a light fog was rolling in. The group split up to search through the stones. "Over here!" Oshea beckoned to the others. "I found him!" Sam, carrying a shovel on his shoulder, moved over to her and looked at the tombstone, nodding. He pushed the shovel into the ground and began to dig, flinging the dirt into a pile behind him.

Ella stood to the side with her sister as Dean helped Sam with the digging. She shivered a bit, as the area suddenly grew chilly. A small bucket of salt sat on the ground next to her, and she held a small box of matches in her hand. Oshea curled her arms around herself, shivering slightly. She frowned as she thought she had seen something in the fog. A chill raised up her spine, and she glanced over to Dean, opening her mouth to speak when she was violently thrown backward. She collapsed into an open grave that had been dug for a funeral the next day and screamed. "Dean!" A flickering figure appeared by the grave where Dean and Sam were digging.

"Oshea!" Ella yelled, running over to the grave her sister had been thrown into. Dean's eyes widened as the figure appeared next to him and he was thrown to the grass, the shovel falling from his hands.

Oshea tried to climb up the sides of the grave, but they were too tall. She slid down and fell hard onto her back at the floor of the grave. She gasped as clumps of dirt fell onto her. "Ella!" The figure smirked, flickering as he stood over Dean with a knife dripping blood.

"Sam! Dig faster!" Dean yelled, his eyes wide as he dug his feet into the ground and forced himself up, scrambling for the shovel. He held on to it tightly, swinging it at the young boy. The iron handle passed through him violently, the boy disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Dig faster!" he said again. Ella looked down at Oshea. "We'll get you out, okay? Just hold on," She said before she hurried to Sam's side as he digged, holding the matches and salt close.

"I'm trying!" Sam called back as he dug. The shovel finally struck the top of the coffin. He dug faster and tossed the shovel up onto the ground. "Got it!" He pulled open the coffin lid. "Hurry, Ella, the lighter!" The lighter struck him in the head as she tossed it down and he picked it up. The little boy had reappeared and was just about to drive his knife into Dean's chest when Sam lit the inside of the coffin on fire. The spirit screeched then vanished.

Dean sighed with relief, dusting himself off. "Phew, that was close," He glanced around for a moment, arching a brow. "Where's... Oshea?"

"Down here!" Oshea cried from inside the freshly dug grave. "Someone get me out of here!"

Sam, Ella, and Dean approached the grave, standing at the edge of it and looking down. Dean shook his head, chuckling a little as he got down on his knees and extended his hand out toward her. Oshea reached up and grabbed his hand, climbing out of the grave with his help. She stood up and glanced back down into the grave, shivering. "As if once wasn't enough," She muttered.

_xx_

A few hours later, the group was back at the motel. After finishing up at the cemetery, they had decided to get some rest before heading off to their next case in the morning. Sam yawned as he heard the door open and softly close. His brows furrowed and he looked to Ella, who was sleeping beside him. Sitting up in the bed, he looked to Dean's bed, seeing Oshea was gone. He stood up from the bed, careful not to wake Ella and looked to the bathroom, but the door was standing open. Quietly, he moved to the window and pulled back the curtain, seeing Oshea walking quickly down the sidewalk. He frowned and hurriedly pulled on some clothes before rushing out and following her. He followed her to another hotel and watched her go up the steps to one of the second level rooms. When the door opened and he saw the familiar male tug her inside, he cursed beneath his breath and pulled out his cell, calling his brother's phone.

Dean groaned and laid there for a moment as the phone continued to ring. He sighed, and finally rolled over, reaching for the lit up phone on the nightstand. He opened the phone, squinting at the bright light before he put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Dean, finally," Sam said with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. "Uh, we have kind of a situation."

"You mean other than the fact you woke me up at..." He glanced over at the clock. "Three in the morning? Wait a second... where are you?"

"Well, in case you didn't notice, Oshea isn't there either. I saw her leaving and I thought I'd follow her and see where she was heading... Dean, you're not going to like this." He said slowly, giving a low sigh. "She is at the Starlight Hotel... with... uh... with that demon... Jonah.."

Dean arched a brow and sat up in bed, reaching over and turning on the lamp He looked at the space next to him in the bed, and sure enough, Oshea was gone. He stood up and walked over to Ella's bed, slipping his hand under her pillow carefully, grabbing the knife. His jaw clenched as he looked it over and then looked at the door. "I'll be right there."


	74. Heartbreak Hotel

He arrived at the Starlight Hotel, the demon killing knife tucked in his back pocket. Sam flipped his phone closed and waited until he saw the Impala pull into the parking lot of the hotel. He walked to it. "Dean, I'm going to go back and keep an eye on Ella. You gonna... I mean... will you be okay here?"

He nodded, stepping out of the car and tossing his brother the keys. "Which room?"

Sam caught the keys and climbed into the car. "224, second floor." He said, gesturing toward the room door. "Call me if anything goes wrong, Dean." He whispered before starting the car and pulling out.

Dean silently walked to the building, and up the stairs. He knocked on the door loudly, and after a few moments, Jonah answered the door and was greeted by one of Dean's fists slamming into his face, sending him stumbling backwards into the room. Oshea jerked up from the bed, her eyes wide. She was clothed in her short black nightgown and the body of a limp male was laying at her feet, blood oozing from a deep gash in his throat. The red fluid was smeared against Oshea's lips and chin. She lowered her eyes and quickly began to wipe it away with the heel of her hand.

"Oshea," He said, gritting his teeth. "Get some damn clothes on and get back to the motel," He said, not taking his eyes off of Jonah as he spoke.

Oshea flinched as if she had been stricken and looked up at Dean sadly. "Dean... you don't understand. I know it's very cliche, but this... this honestly is not what it looks like. Well.. it is what it looks like, but... there is a really good reason for it. If you would... just let me explain..."

"Yeah, Dean, lighten up. We were just having a little fun," The demon grinned.

"Get back to the motel, Oshea," He said again.

"I can't, Dean!" She said quickly, stepping toward him. "I can't. I have... I have to do this, I don't have any choice."

He shrugged. "Watch, don't watch, I don't really care." He pulled the knife out of his back pocket, diving towards Jonah. Jonah smirked and quickly grabbed Dean by the neck, forcing him against the wall as he started to punch him with his other hand. After about ten punches, the knife was released from Dean's hand and fell to the carpet below.

"Dean, stop!" Oshea cried, paling as she saw him charge toward Jonah. Tears rose to her eyes as Jonah forced him against the wall and she rushed toward Jonah, grabbing his arm. "Jonah, stop this! Stop it!"

Jonah let go of Dean, his limp body slumping down the wall to the floor as he coughed up blood. Jonah turned and looked at Oshea a split second before she was flung across the room and crashed into the large mahogany dresser. "Stop? Now why would I do that?"

Oshea struck the dresser sharply and cried out, sinking to her knees on the floor. She grunted and reached up a hand, laying it on the top of the dresser and pulling herself back up to her feet. "I'm doing what you want, Jonah. Just leave him out of this. It was part of our deal, remember?" She said lowly as she stepped toward him. "Unless you want me to send you back to Hell?"

Jonah laughed loudly. "You? Send me back to Hell? Ha, you don't have the stones, my dear. And even if you did send me back, I would only crawl my way out eventually, and you know what the first thing on my to do list would be? Making sure Dean Winchester here dies a long, painful death. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Oshea narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to think that you were actually going to help me." She snapped. "Fine, I won't send you back to Hell. I'll kill you before you get the chance to hurt anyone else." She said, lifting her hand.

Jonah rolled his eyes, before lunging toward her and pinning her to the ground. He raised his fist in the air, bringing it down sharply across Oshea's face. "You know what you are, Oshea? You're ungrateful," He sighed, hitting her again. "I mean, I'm the one who told you about your powers, taught you how to use them..." Another hit. "I stayed away from Ella and the Winchesters, like you asked. I gave you my own blood, I promised to help undo this apocalypse as long as you just behaved yourself... and you couldn't even do a simple thing like that," He shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. If you're dumb enough to trust a demon, you're dumb enough to betray one... It's too bad, we had some good times," He grinned and raised his fist to hit her again, but the impact never came. The end of the blade of a knife was swiftly thrust through the back of his neck, sticking out the front of his throat as a bright light surged through his body for a moment, flashing brightly one last time before the knife was jerked out of his throat and he collapsed sideways onto the floor.

The breath was torn from her lungs as she violently was thrown to the ground. She cried out as his fist connected with her face. She closed her eyes, bracing for the next blow, but it never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes and watched as he fell to the floor. She scrambled backwards away from his limp form, her back pressing against the wall. Her left eye was already beginning to swell and bruise and her own blood trickled from her split lip. Dean lifted a hand to wipe away the blood that had trickled down his face from his nose and lips, and stuck the knife back in his pocket, looking down at Oshea. He waited a moment before extending a hand and pulling her up. "Come on," He said quietly, glancing back at the body before turning to the door and walking out it.

Tears were running down Oshea's face as she looked up at Dean. She took his hand and stood up with his help. She nodded a little and followed him back to the motel where they had all been staying. Before they stepped inside the room, she glanced up at Dean. "I.. I really can explain, Dean... you know that I wouldn't have done this without good reason..."

He shook his head. "Really, another excuse? I'm shocked," He threw his hands up. "Fine, I'm all ears. What?"

Oshea kept her eyes down. She felt too guilty to even look at Dean, not just from being caught with Jonah again, but for causing the apocalypse in the first place. "Jonah told me that there was a way I could stop the apocalypse. He said that when Ella and I were brought back we opened a doorway to Hell and that is where all of the demons are coming from. He said that there was a ritual to close it, and that if I did what he said, he would tell me the details. He told me that the door wasn't actually a physical door, but some kind of scared pagan item or something. He said I needed the demon blood to complete the ritual, but... you came before he could tell me anything else... Dean, I just want to fix what Ella and I caused... "

"For god's sake, Oshea, he's a demon. Even if he was telling the truth about you guys jump starting the apocalypse, since when does a demon give a crap about helping save the world?"

"He said that the demons' purpose was to make humans miserable so what happens when all of the humans are dead or being used as meat suits for these things?" She said with a weak shrug. "I checked it out with Bobby... he said that he'd heard of something like that... so I knew Jonah wasn't lying.."

"So you talked to Bobby about this? But not me? Or Sam? Or even Ella? When were you planning on informing us about your little extra curricular activities, huh? He could have killed you, Oshea. All he was trying to do was turn you into a monster, and deep inside, I think you know I'm right," He shook his head before pushing open the motel door and walking inside.

"I only talked to Bobby about the ritual. I wanted to make sure that it was legit before I even gave Jonah the time of day. I was going to tell you, Dean... I just didn't want to get everyone's hopes up until

I had found something concrete..." She narrowed her eyes a little as he started to step back inside. "Who says that I would have minded if he had killed me?" She snapped, remaining outside with tears running down her face.

Dean stopped in his tracks, sighing and turning back around. "You don't mean that. Why would you say something like that?"

"Because I was... Never mind." She said with a sigh, the anger draining from her. She was too tired and sore from the beating she had received. She brushed her fingertips gently around her black eye and grimaced. She skirted around Dean and stepped into the hotel room.

Dean stood there for a few moments before following Oshea back into the room. Ella was sitting in bed, leaning back against some pillows against the headboard. She sat up straight and her eyes widened when she saw the two of them. "What happened to you two? I wake up and you guys are gone, and you come back looking like you were somebody's punching bag!"

Oshea moved to the bathroom and shut the door with a resounding thud. Sam sighed and sat down beside Ella. "Dean and Oshea had a fight..." He said softly to her.

Ella's eyes grew wider. "With each other? Dean, I swear to god, if you touched my sister I will kick your a-"

"What? No!" Sam said quickly. "No... not like that. She was with Jonah again. I'm guessing he's the one who used our siblings as target practice... "

Dean nodded. "Well, we won't have to worry about him anymore," He said, pulling the blood stained knife out and laying it down on the nightstand as he sat down on the edge of the other bed.

Ella arched a brow, and then looked at the knife. "Oh. Well... good," She said with a nod.

Oshea stepped out of the bathroom, her tears gone but the dark black eye, the dried blood on her lower lip, and the other bruises dotting her face still remained. She sighed and stepped toward the others. "I have something I need to tell you."


	75. Nerdy Little Angel Turned Martha Stewart

_SOUIX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA_

The ride to the Singer residence was a long and quiet one. Since the night before, when Oshea had told Sam and Ella about the last seal, the big green "go" button for the apocalypse, and about the possible reversal ritual, every one had been on edge and less chatty than usual.

When they arrived, they stepped onto the creaky front porch and was greeted by the older hunter, who was already standing behind the screen door.

Oshea grabbed her bag from the back of the Impala and silently stepped toward the house, jogging up the porch steps to the screen door. It was tugged open and Bobby's brows furrowed as he saw the bruises on her face. Wordlessly, she moved into the home, setting down her bags at the foot of the couch. The house was filled with the mouth watering aroma of freshly baked goods. Sam took a deep breath as he stepped inside and his eyes widened, "Bobby… are you… _baking_?"

"Not me. Him," He said, gesturing toward the kitchen as the door opened and Castiel stepped out, wiping his hands on pale apron that had been tied about his waist. He was wearing a too large red flannel shirt and dusty pair of jeans that were obviously Bobby's. The sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, and pants were secured about his lean waist by a worn brown belt. He smiled pleasantly.

"Hello, Bobby said that you were coming. You are the Winchesters, yes? And the Blackwoods. It is good to see you. I am glad that you arrived safely. I baked an apple pie. I believe you enjoy those… uh… Dean, is it?" He questioned, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked to the eldest Winchester.

Dean's jaw dropped a bit as he stared for a few moments. "So I take it Martha Stewart here still has no memory of being a nerdy little angel?" He said to Bobby, but not taking his eyes off Castiel.

Castiel's brows furrowed a little. "Martha Stewart... are you referring to me? I thought my name was Castiel..." He said, glancing toward Bobby. The elder hunter rolled his eyes.

"It is! Geez, you idjit, don't confuse him!" Bobby said, giving Dean a little glare. "Since he's got here all he's been in a pain in my ass," He cursed gruffly, glancing toward Castiel who shifted a little uncomfortably.

Ella arched a brow. "He loses his memory, but still doesn't gain the concept of sarcasm... poor guy can't catch a break."

Bobby glanced to Castiel who was staring at his bare, flour dusted feet. Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed. "But... he can cook. Somehow." Castiel looked up and smiled a little. "How is supper coming, Castiel?"

The former angel perked up and nodded. "Good! It's almost ready. I'd better go check on it." He scurried back into the kitchen and Sam grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily.

"So uh... is there any way we can fix him?"

"Not that I've seen." Bobby said with a deep frown. "You really screwed him up, ya idjit. But I can't take much more of his housewife routine, so you boys are going to have to either work a miracle and rewire his deep fried brain or take him yourself."

"Speaking of miracles," Ella said, "Any luck with that ritual?"

Oshea looked up from the couch where she had been sitting, a little off to the side. When Ella mentioned the ritual, Oshea stood and walked over. Bobby nodded. "I've been doing a lot of research, but I've not found much. There are a lot of rituals that can ward off demonic deities, but I haven't found anything that fits Oshea's description."

"Maybe Jonah was lying," Ella said, looking at her sister with a frown.

Oshea kept her eyes down, curving her arms around herself. Bobby looked over to her. "Explain to me again everything that he said about this so called ritual. You weren't holding anything out on me were you, Oshea?" Oshea did not look up. Bobby sighed. "Okay, look. I know that things have been... off between you all lately, but now is the time to just lay everything on the table and be completely honest and..." He paused and looked between them. "Where the hell is Dean? This is important!"

Dean stepped out from the kitchen, holding a plate of a half eaten slice of pie. "What?" He said, his mouth full.

Bobby walked over to him and gave him a little pop on the back of the head. "Idjit." He grumbled before stepping to the living room, beckoning to the others. "Come on. We're going to sit down and Oshea, you're going to tell us _everything _Jonah said about this ritual. Now is not the time to be keeping secrets." Oshea nodded a little and sank down onto the couch. When everyone had sat down, she began, staring at her hands.

"He told me that there are many gateways to Hell and that one of them was a box. He said it's where the Greeks got the story of Pandora's box. Anyway..." She sighed. "He said that to close it, we would have to perform a sacrificial ritual and that it required the blood of a demon and the blood of the person responsible for opening the box. Apparently when Ella and I were taken from Heaven, we inadvertently broke the seal that held the box closed."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, and- wait, did you just say Heaven?"

Oshea looked up at Dean and nodded slowly. "Yes, Dean. Ella and I... we didn't go to Hell when we died. We were in Heaven."

Dean arched a brow. "I don't believe it."

Ella nodded. "It's true."

He shook his head. "No I mean I literally don't believe that you were in Heaven. Even if it does exist... us four, we're not exactly BFFS with those up above. Considering the things we've done, I'd say we had a better chance of winning the lottery than sitting up in Heaven drinking margaritas with God."

Tears ran down her face as Oshea looked up at him, "I know it's hard to believe that I'd be allowed up there, but it's true." She stood up from the couch and stepped from the room into the kitchen just as the lights flickered and Joel appeared among them. "I have some things to discuss with you all.."

Ella jumped a bit in her seat as he appeared and then glared. "You guys really need to quit doing that."

Joel smirked a little in amusement. "Sorry, Ella. Look, there's been a-" He froze as Castiel stepped into the room.

"Dinner's ready." He said. "Hello, who are you?"

Joel's eyes were very wide as he looked Castiel over then looked to Dean and Sam. "You turned my brother into a cooking lumberjack?"

Dean shrugged. "Hey, don't look at us," He nodded his head toward Bobby. "We haven't seen him since Sam put him in a mini-coma."

Joel arched a brow and looked to Bobby who shook his head. "Not my fault the emergency room cuts off a person's clothing. When angel boy came back from the hospital, he was upset because he couldn't remember anything and just... started cooking."

"This... is all my fault," Sam said weakly.

Joel rolled his eyes and shook his head. "And you wonder why some angels hate humans."

"Can you fix him, Joel?" Sam asked, glancing from Castiel to Joel. The younger angel looked to Castiel and stepped forward, pressing the heel of his hand sharply against his forehead.

"BE HEALED!"

Castiel jumped a little and rubbed his head. Sam's eyes widened and he looked from Dean to Joel. "That kind of thing really works?"

"No... it doesn't work that way. I've just... I don't know. Always wanted to say that." Joel said with a little smirk.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Can you fix him or not?"

"Yes." Joel said with a nod. "I am an archangel now, after all. The only reason I did not 'fix him' sooner is because his vessel needed to heal enough to handle housing him. A lot depends on the condition of our vessel, you understand." Lifting his hand, he pressed his two forefingers against Castiel's forehead. Castiel blinked a little and his brows furrowed.

"Joel?"

"Welcome back, brother." Joel said with a little smile. Sam's eyes widened and he jumped up, going toward Castiel quickly.

"Cas! You're okay!" He said with a smile.

Castiel looked at him and tilted his head before curling one hand into a fist and driving it sharply into Sam's face, sending him sprawling to the floor. Castiel lowered his hand. "Forgive me. For some reason that felt necessary..." His eyes lowered to his clothes and he arched a brow. "What is it that I am wearing?"

"Bobby's clothes," Ella said with a little laugh. "Bobby, please tell me you kept his trenchcoat at least? I don't think I've ever seen him without it.. You okay, Sam?" She frowned a bit, although at the moment, the expression on Castiel's face made it difficult to stay serious.

Bobby nodded, "Sure. That was the one piece of clothing they didn't hack to pieces. It's in the coat closet."

Joel smiled, "Come on, brother. I'm sure I have some clothes that will fit you better." He lifted his hand and touched Castiel's brow. The other angel vanished and Joel looked back to Sam, who was picking himself up off the floor. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I definitely deserved that."

She nodded, biting her lip as she tried to fight a smile. "A little bit." She rose from the couch and stepped towards the kitchen. "I'm just gonna check on Oshea."

When she left the room, Dean turned to look at Joel. "So, Ella and Oshea seem to be under the impression that they were in Heaven... care to elaborate?"

Joel took a deep breath as he heard the door close behind Ella. He looked to Dean and shook his head. "Give us a little credit, Dean. Do you really think that we would send Ella, the one who can see and hear the true forms and voices of the angels down to Hell? It's true, Dean. They were in Heaven... Paradise. Why do you think Zachariah was so keen on you asking for them back? Hm? And why Chuck told you both to be sure not to ask for them. To tell Zachariah you did not want them back. They were violently ripped from Heaven and thrown into coffins which they then had to dig themselves out of. You want to know why they are so different? Why they barely smile and laugh anymore? Because they have tasted perfect, untainted bliss... they have been in Heaven. And that was taken away from them."

Dean looked away. "We didn't have anything to do with bringing them back.." He said quietly.

"Well... regardless. Now you know." Joel said with a sigh. "But there is no time for this now. There has been some trouble in Detroit. We believe there is a large group of demons there... Castiel will go with you." As soon as he said his name, the angel appeared wearing his normal attire of a suit and his khaki trench coat.

"Demons in Detroit, catchy... what are they doing there?" Dean asked.

"There have been sightings of an omen of disaster," Castiel said slowly. "One that has not appeared for a very long time. A dwarf like creature called a nain rouge."

Dean arched a brow. "Nain rouge... I think I've heard that before."

"I think I have, too." Sam stood up and walked over to their suitcase, digging around a bit before pulling out their father's bulky journal. He flipped through it a few moments then nodded. "Right here it is. It always appears as a warning that a disaster is at hand. It appeared in 1763 just before the Battle of Bloody Run... in '67 before there was a riot on 12th Street..."

"Right," Dean nodded. "People said they also saw it right before the big fire in 1805, and then again in '76 before an ice storm. So this thing isn't dangerous, but it predicts danger."

Joel nodded, "Yes, and it has been spotted again. We believe there to be a large group of demons there, and if this creature is there as well, it means that a lot of people could die if you all don't do something."

Dean sighed. "Guess we're goin' to Detroit."


	76. Camp Sunshine

_DETROIT, MICHIGAN_

Sam yawned a bit as he drove the Impala down the long stretch of road. They had come into Detroit a roundabout way and were moving through the more desolate roads, hoping to find a small out of the way hotel where they could all crash. The drive up had been awkwardly quiet, and now the sisters were sleeping in the back under the watchful eyes of Castiel and Dean was dozing in the passenger seat after reluctantly giving the wheel to Sam. Sam yawned again, his eyes winking shut for jut a second. When he reopened them there was something standing in the middle of the road. He cursed and slammed his foot on the breaks. The Impala came to a screeching halt that caused Dean to lurch forward; the headlights show brightly on the figure straddling the yellow lines.

Dean jolted awake, "What the hell, Sam!" He exclaimed, but when he looked ahead through the windshield, his question was answered. In the middle of the road stood a creature with reddish skin and long black hair. It was wearing a long ratty fur coat and was standing barefoot on the pavement, staring at them with burning eyes. It flickered, and then reappeared beside a rusty sign on the side of the road next to a old dirt road that went off to the right. Dean squinted his eyes to read the writing. "CAMP SUNSHINE. Ten miles this way."

Sam was panting a little as he stared at the creature. "I... I take it that's the nain rouge." He said slowly. When Dean read out the words on the sign, Sam frowned. "Well that sounds... pleasant." Castiel leaned up from the back seat, his eyes narrowed.

"That is where it will happen."

"So all the doom and disaster is going to happen at 'Camp Sunshine?'" Dean looked back at Castiel with an arched brow.

Castiel looked at him and nodded slowly. "Yes."

Dean rolled his eyes at the irony-impaired angel and turned back to look at the sign, but the creature had disappeared. "Camp Sunshine it is," He mumbled.

"I think I might be able to get us signed up as counselors at the camp," Sam said with a yawn as he sat at a small table in the hotel room that they had gotten a few miles from the camp. "That way we'll be able to stay in a cabin there and keep an eye on things."

Ella nodded. "Sounds good."

Sam glanced at the clock, seeing that it wasn't too early in the morning and flipped open his cell phone, calling the number he had found on the camp's website. Oshea sat down on the end of one of the beds with a sigh. She wished that things could be the way they had been between them. They used to all be so close, and now after everything that had happened, it was like there was a big gap between them.

Dean was sitting at the small round table in the corner of the room, flipping through the channels on the old television set. His mind, however, was on other things. Oshea, Jonah, the apocalypse... things seemed to just be getting worse. A few minutes later, Sam closed his phone and nodded. "Okay. The camp seemed very happy to have us. Apparently they have a really troublesome group of kids this time. We can go after lunch today, they'll have our cabin set up by then. We're really lucky that we came here when we did. The schedule says that May 1, today, is when the kids arrive and May 2, tomorrow, is when the programs start."

Ella nodded. "So what do you think we're dealing with here, a bunch of demon kids just starting trouble, or just some random demons here to join in on the camp fun? By camp fun, I mean an all-you-can-eat massacre. Demons aren't exactly known for their 'smore making, so I'm doubting they're here for the nature and bonfires."

"Yeah, I can't really see demons sitting around a campfire singing Kumbiayah." Sam said, shaking his head. "We'll just have to see when we get there."

"If demons are possessing the kids," Oshea said, furrowing her brows. "We won't be able to use the knife... that will kill the kid, too."

"Exorcisms still work. If it's the kids, we can redecorate their cabins with devil's traps, spit out a little latin, then problem solved," Dean said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't be cocky." Castiel said. "I doubt they will make it that simple for you. I'm sure they know you're coming and will be prepared."

"Well fine, Cas, let's hear your brilliant plan, then," Dean rolled his eyes.

"I only want you all to be cautious," The angel replied quietly. "You are important to us."

"Okay," Ella nodded. "We can go down to meet the kids later, see if there's anything suspicious about them."

Sam closed his computer and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright. Is anyone hungry? We could get something to eat before we go to the camp."

_xx_

Dean's stomach growled loudly, quickly answering Sam's question. They all piled into the Impala and drove down to Sunshine Diner, a quaint diner a couple miles down the road from the camp. Oshea arched a brow as they stepped inside. "What is it with these people and sunshine?" She questioned, starting toward one of the booths.

"Because sunshine makes the world beautiful." The voice came from an overly cheerful waitress who had a huge, toothy smile. She held it as she stood by the table. "What can I get for you all, dears?"

Ella held back a snicker as she slid into the booth next to her sister. "Could you give us a few moments to decide?" She said smiling politely up at the woman.

"Sure." The woman said with a massive smile. "Just let me know when you are ready, okey dokey?"

"Well that was… eerie…," Oshea said with a frown.

Ella nodded, letting her smile quickly fade as the woman wandered off to a group at another table. "That was almost… scary."

"Just a little bit." Sam said, staring after the woman. He looked down at the menu.

"Hello, there, kids."

Sam jumped a little, looking over as an old man, who was also smiling brightly, stood by their table. "You all are new in town aren't you? Counselor Betty was in today and said she had some bright new sunshine-y faces coming to join the Camp Sunshine team! My name is Earl Davidson. I take the kids on a hayride through my apple orchard every year."

"Hello… Earl," Dean said, looking at the smiling man warily. He and Ella exchanged glances, both raising their eyebrows a bit. "Yeah, we're all just so… super duper excited about this summer," He said, mocking the man's energetic way of speaking.

"Well, that's fan_tastic_." Earl said, nodding. "We need people like you to _help_ out during the summer!" His smile twitched slightly, but remained in place. "You're going to do great! Just great! We have some wonderful kids this summer."

"Counselor Betty seemed kind of… overwhelmed," Sam said slowly.

"Oh, don't mind her! She was new, too, but now she's the happiest camper she can be." He said with a grin, patting Dean on the back. "Order whatever you like, kids. It's on me."

Dean arched a brow, slightly glaring at the man. His expression lightened up a bit as food was mentioned. "I could go for some pie," He said with a little shrug.

"Well alrighty then! Hey Rebecca! Bring these kids some of your super duper sunshine-y apple pie!" He said, stepping away from the table.

"Okay I am officially creeped out…" Ella said, looking after the man as he walked away and then she looked at Sam. "Think they're just… happy?"

Dean shrugged. "Who cares, we get free pie. We can deal with the loonies and demons later."

"Dean, there are more things to worry about than pie." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "We potentially have an entire summer camp of demons! We need a plan."

"Here you are, dears!" Rebecca walked over to the table, still smiling broadly, and sat down huge pieces of pie in front of everyone. "Enjoy. If you want more, just let me know. Anything for our super peppy sunshine campers!" She said before leaving.

"Let's hurry up and eat and get out of here. It's kind of hard to concentrate on a plan with these people smiling psychotically at us," Ella said, glancing nervously over at Rebecca as she smiled at her from behind the counter.

"I second that," Oshea said quickly. She took up her fork and stabbed it into the pie, breaking off a piece. "Mm… this is really good pie though." She said, chewing slowly. "Like… _really_ good pie."

Sam frowned a little, poking his pie with the tips of his forks. "I don't know… this seems a little weird, guys. Maybe we shouldn't eat this stuff… it could be poisoned or drugged or something… I mean, who really just buys strangers pies?"

Dean hesitated a moment before shrugging and taking a bite. His eyes widened. "Oh my god…" He said, his mouth full. Oshea chuckled a little and nodded, looking over at Dean.

"It's amazing isn't it? It's the best pie I've ever tasted! No wonder people are so happy here!" She said, her own mouth full. She took another large bite and closed her eyes, giggling a little. "This is almost heavenly…"

Ella sighed. "Well, if you guys are going to die of food poisoning, I guess I might as well," She said, taking a bite of the pie. Her reaction was the same, if not similar to those of Dean and Oshea's. "Sam.. You have to try this pie… if we were to die right now, it would be totally worth it."

Sam arched a brow. "Are you all insane! That pie could very well be what is making these people like… _that."_ He said, glancing toward Rebecca and Earl who were grinning stupidly at them from the counter. "I'm not eating that."

Oshea took another big bite, groaning happily. "Oooh I could sit here all day eating this pie."

Ella smiled. "Lighten up, Sam. There's nothing wrong in liking pie… or being happy. Gosh, party pooper," She rolled her eyes.

"There is something wrong with it when we have a case. This is unnatural. Come on, we need to go and get to the camp." He said. "Or the hotel. Anywhere, just out of here… quickly."

Dean finished off a couple more bites and then stood from the booth. He reached into his jacket pocket and fished out a few crumpled dollar bills, tossing them on the table. "Fine, we can go check out the camp. The kids are probably not there yet, but we can at least get settled into a cabin and check out the place."

"That sounds perfect!" Oshea said with a laugh, lacing her arm with Dean's and leaning her head against his shoulder. Sam looked at them both and shook his head.

"Fine, whatever. We'll go to the hotel, get our stuff and Cas, and go."


	77. Born Crazy

Shortly after that, the Impala pulled into the one remaining parking space at the entrance of the Sunshine Campground. After grabbing their things from the trunk and starting to walk, they realized they had to walk the entire trail to actually get to the cabins and such. Ella let out a frustrated groan, the happiness from the delicious pie starting to wear off, replaced with sore feet from all the walking and lugging around duffle bags full of clothes and weapons. "Is this trail ever going to end?" She said, frowning.

Oshea groaned. "Good feelings are gone." She complained softly. "And my feet feel like they're going to fall off." When the trail finally did end, they were greeted with an old, run down looking cabin. Inside it was dusty and bugs skittered across the floor when Sam tugged the thin chain that shut on the single, bare light bulb in the center of the ceiling. There was an old bunk bed pushed against the wall and no other furniture.

Castiel appeared in the room, causing the light bulb to flicker and a few scattered papers flutter by his feet. "This place… is very small."

Ella glared at Castiel, letting the duffle bag fall to the wooden floor with a loud thump. "We were walking for like, half an hour, Cas… you couldn't have poofed us here? A few moments of feeling sick to our stomachs… way better than how we feel right now."

"Well… I suppose I could have." Castiel said quietly, his brows furrowed a little.

"Don't… talk about feeling sick, Ells." Oshea said, curving an arm around her waist. She looked up at the bunk beds and frowned. "So… who gets the top bunk?"

Dean frowned a little. "I think that pie was evil. I feel like I'm going to puke."

"I'm sure as heck not sleeping on the bottom bunk… that thing looks like it's about to fall apart, and I am not interested in being crushed by a mattress," Ella said, scrunching her nose. She jumped and let out a squeak of alarm as she felt something touching her arm.

Oshea shook her head. "Just a spider web, don't worry. I guess… Dean and I can take the bottom bunk? You and Sam could have the top." She said with a little wave of her hand. "I'm just ready to lie down."

Ella nodded. "Same here. We can take a nap until someone lets us know the kiddies are here. I'm exhausted," She said as she walked towards the bunk bed. She frowned with disgust as she brushed away some dust off the railing and climbed up the ladder, the bed creaking with every step. Fortunately, they had been left with fresh sheets and clean pillows. Sam climbed up carefully after her. Oshea groaned, clutching her stomach as she climbed into the lower bunk.

It seemed like they had just laid down when there came a sharp knock at the door before it was shoved open. "Well hey howdy hey!" The energetic voice startled Sam awake and he jerked, tumbling from the bed and striking the floor of the cabin, sending up a cloud of dust and causing a few bugs to frantically skitter away. Groaning, he pushed himself up a bit. A petite female stood in the doorway with a huge smile plastered on her face. "You all must be the new sunshine-y counselors!"

Ella lifted her head, glancing down over the railing of the booth to look down at Sam, arching a brow. She then looked up at the door, squinting her eyes as sunshine shone through the screen windows.

"You have got to be kidding me," Dean groaned, burying his face in his pillow.

"Come on! Time to turn those frowns, UPSIDE dooooooown!" She said, walking over to Sam, who was standing and brushing himself off. She pushed up the corners of his lips, forming an awkward smile. Sam chuckled a little and stepped backwards.

"You must be…" He began.

"Counselor Betty, that's me!" She said, jabbing her thumbs toward her chest. "It's time for you all to come and have super duper fun with the kids! They're just dying to see you! Come along, come along! We'll be doing some activities and then we'll have a bonfire and it'll be just SUPER!" Her smile twitched. "It's so good of you to help… us…" She said through clenched teeth. "Please."

Ella stared at the woman, and then after a moment, she climbed down from the bunk. "We'll be right out, just give us, uh… a few minutes to get ready," She said, smiling a bit nervously at her.

Sam's eyes narrowed slightly. "What did you say?"

The woman tilted her head, still giving a strained smile. "Please… help… us…" She said stiffly.

Sam nodded slowly. "Just tell us… who is doing this to the townspeople?"

The woman shook her head and smiled brightly. "Hurry up and get ready! It's time to meet the kiddies!" She said before giggling and turning on her heels, going out of the cabin.

Dean's eyes were wide as he watched the woman leave. "Holy…. crap."

"You said it," Ella muttered quietly, staring off after the woman. "I think we've got more than a demon problem on our hands…"

Sam shook his head. "What is going on here?"

"The people here are beginning to make me feel uncomfortable," Castiel said slowly as he appeared in the small cabin with them. He looked down as a roach crunched under his shoe. "Are human dwellings supposed to have these creatures in them?"

"At least you can poof away from them at will. We, on the other hand, have to stick around these lunatics until we figure out what in the world is going on," Ella said, leaning down to unzip her duffle bag. She ran a hand through her slightly oily hair and sighed. "We have only been here a few hours, and I've already come to the conclusion that nature sucks."

Oshea sighed and climbed out of the lower bunk and nodded. "I feel like utter crap… my head is killing me." She murmured, bringing a hand to her temple. "I don't know about you guys, but Ella and I are going to go try to find the showers."

Ella rummaged through the duffle bag before finally just jerking it up by the strap and slinging it over her shoulder. "Sounds good to me."

They stepped out of the cabin and began to walk down a small trail until they reached a small clearing in the woods. In the middle of the clearing, there was a decent sized building with an old sign over it that said "Bathrooms."

Oshea sighed as she stepped out of the bathroom a few moments later, her damp hair tied back in a ponytail. "I'm ready to get away from this place. I really wish that we could just have a little break sometimes you know? Just for a day or two… no cases, no demons… no scary happy counselors…"

Ella laughed a little. "Yeah, right… the only break we ever got was when we were dead," She said, shaking her head. "My turn," She said, grabbing a towel and some clean clothes out of her bag and heading back into the bathroom to the one working shower.


	78. Stranger In A Strange Land

When she was finished, they gathered their things and started to head back to the cabin, when suddenly a tall attractive younger man stepped from almost out of nowhere in front of them on the path. "Whoops, sorry, I was just heading to the john. But while you two are here, I've been told to remind the new counselors about the huge bonfire tonight to celebrate the beginning of camp. It's a little lame, I know, but there are going to be 'smores. Plus, I could really use the company.. A lot of the other workers seem like they've overdosed on happy pills, if you know what I mean," He said with a chuckle.

Oshea smiled at him and nodded, "I'm glad we're not the only ones who think so." She said with a chuckle. "We'll be there along with our…." She paused a moment, not sure what to call Sam and Dean. At one time she would have said their boyfriends, but things had been so strained lately… "Our friends." She said after a moment. "I'm Oshea, and this is my older sister Ella."

"Nathan," He smiled. "Well, I'll see you and your friends later," He waved goodbye to them as he walked off towards the bathroom.

"Well he seemed… nice. Not creepy nice either," Ella said as they continued walking.

Oshea waved goodbye to him and nodded, "Yeah. Let's hope he stays that way." She said, going back to the cabin with her older sibling. Once they were inside, she sat down her duffel bag by the door. "Okay, guys, there is apparently some kind of big welcome to the scary happy fun town bonfire planned for tonight. 'Smores are going to be provided. Oh, and we met a nice normal counselor named Nathan."

"We're thinking maybe whatever is going on around here hasn't gotten to him yet," Ella chimed in. "Hopefully he'll stay that way at least until the end of the night, so we can ask him some questions."

_xx_

The stars were just coming out as the Winchesters and the Blackwoods arrived at the site for the bonfire. There were kids of various ages circled around the large fire pit. They ranged from about 10-13 in age, and they were all socializing to each other quietly until the group of hunters stepped forward. All of the campers' eyes turned to them and small smiles turned up the corners of their lips. One of the counselors started the fire, and Oshea settled down on one of the logs.

Ella quickly followed her sister, sitting down next to her. She nudged her in the side lightly with her elbow. "Hey, is it just me, or are those kids staring at us like we're dinner?" She whispered.

Oshea looked around at the children, who were watching them hungrily. "I don't know… something is seriously wrong with them. I wonder where that Nathan guy went to…"

Ella shook her head. "I donno… wait, there he comes, along with Sam and Dean," She nodded over at them as they walked across the field to the log they were sitting at. "Hey Nathan, I take it you met Sam and Dean," Ella said with a smile.

Oshea smiled as Dean sat down beside of her then gave a little wave to Nathan. The kids around them grinned and a few licked their lips, glancing between each other and whispering to one another as they watched the hunters. Betty clapped her hands with a laugh. "Okey dokey everyone! Time for some super duper fun songs and roasting marshmallows for our 'smores! Nathan, our super duper fun new recruit is going to hand out the skewers! Remember to be careful! They are very sharp and pointy, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now would we?"

"Yes." Came a voice from among the kids, who then began to chuckle and giggle softly to themselves, their eyes seeming to flicker darkly in the light of the fire. Betty grinned in the voice's direction then went and sat down with the other wildly grinning counselors.

"I think we found our demons…" Ella whispered quietly to Sam, not taking her eyes off of the children. Nathan walked over to Betty, taking the skewers from her and walking over to where the children were, handing them out one by one. Sam's eyes widened, and he nodded.

"It looks like… it's _all _of them." he said quietly, his eyes traveling over the smirking kids. One of the boys took his skewer and made a slashing motion across his throat before blowing a kiss toward Ella. Oshea stiffened.

"There's so many… what are we going to do, Dean?"

"Well, they're definitely not going to line up and wait to be exorcised… I say we try to make it through the night. Nathan said the kids would be out all day doing crafts and other camp like activities… one of us can stay behind and put devil's traps in all the kids cabins… then when they get back, we'll all split up and do the exorcisms. There's four cabins, several kids in each one. It could work.." Dean said quietly.

"They're going to be expecting us to be their counselors. We can't just disappear to draw the symbols. We could get Castiel to draw the symbols for us while we're distracting the kids." Sam said with a nod. "I'll write down copies of the exorcism for everyone. We'll be quicker if everyone splits up and takes a cabin or a group of kids."

The children began to violently stab their marsh mallows before holding them over the open flames. Two children broke away from the group. The boys started to sword fight with each other, striking the skewers against one another.

Ella's eyes widened as she looked up and over at the boys. "Uh.. Sam, I think we have a problem."

Sam glanced over to the kids and narrowed his eyes some. He stood up slowly while Betty started to sing some meaningless camp song with the other happy go lucky counselors. He moved over to the children just as one of the ran the end of the skewer through the other's wrist. The two boys laughed and blood poured down the metal rod and his skin. Sam rushed forward. "Hey! Hey stop!"

Nathan ran up to them as well, looking equally as worried. His eyes widened at the blood. "Dude, what's going on?" He said, glancing up at Sam and then back at the children.

The boy that had done the stabbing had wispy black hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing a dark green tank and a pair of blue jean shorts. His sandals were splattered with blood. He smirked as he yanked the skewer from the other boy's arm. The other boy, a blonde, merely laughed as blood poured from the deep hole in his arm. The dark haired child lurched forward with a guttural growl and jammed the skewer in the meaty part of Nathan's thigh. Sam jerked forward, leaving the blonde, bleeding boy as he moved to help Nathan.

Oshea rushed forward to the blonde boy, who had sat down on the ground, laughing so hard tears were easing down his face. She knelt down beside of him and started to reach for him when he pressed a hand to her shoulder and shoved her to the ground, crawling on top of her and pressing his bleeding wrist toward her face, smearing it around her lips and cheeks as she cried out. Oshea stiffened, trying to keep her lips tightly closed despite the immense temptation.

The blonde boy was suddenly thrown backwards by a swift kick to the face from Dean. "Sorry kid," he muttered with a shrug, and then helped Oshea off the ground.

Ella, who had ran over to help Sam and Nathan, was tripped by the black haired demon boy, and narrowly missed having the skewer stabbed through her throat. She rolled over on the ground just in time and jumped to her feet.

Oshea gasped and shivered as she stood up, wiping the blood from her face. The smell was intoxicating, and she found herself staring at the blonde boy's wound as he rose from the ground and grinned. "You know you want it, little hunter… take it!"

"Alright, settle down now!" Betty skipped over to the group and shook her head, clicking her tongue with a grin. "This has been super fun, but I think that's enough for tonight don't you all? Come on, Andrew, Brandon."

The blonde, Andrew, chuckled softly, his eyes flickering black as he nodded. "Sure thing." He turned and started to walk away, pausing to look back over his shoulder at Oshea and Dean. "If you ever need anything… you just come to me, sweetness." He said with a wolfish grin, looking her up and down before turning and walking off.

Ella sighed a little with relief as the black haired demon walked away as well. "I guess when Dean said we were going to just have to try to survive through the night, he meant it literally," She said to Sam quietly, kneeling down beside of Nathan. She pulled off the bandana that he had been wearing, and started to wrap it tightly around his leg to try to stop the bleeding.

Dean glared after the demon and then looked at Oshea. "Are you okay?"

Oshea shivered and nodded. "Yeah… I'm okay. I just… need to get back to the cabin. There's so much blood here…" She said, glancing to the red fluid on the ground.

Sam cursed a little. "Dean, Nathan's going to need a hospital, fast. I think that kid hit the artery."

Betty walked up and smiled down at them. "Oh dear, you boys were playing a little rough weren't you? Naughty. Don't worry your pretty little head, Winchester. We'll patch Nate-y right up." She said as the other counselors gathered around them.


	79. Witchy Woman

Sam cursed a little. "Dean, Nathan's going to need a hospital, fast. I think that kid hit the artery."

Betty walked up and smiled down at them. "Oh dear, you boys were playing a little rough weren't you? Naughty. Don't worry your pretty little head, Winchester. We'll patch Nate-y right up." She said as the other counselors gathered around them.

Dean nodded at Oshea and then stepped over to Sam, "I'm gonna take Oshea back to the cabin… can you and Ella handle this here?" He asked quietly.

Sam nodded, "Yeah. We'll be fine. You both go ahead." He draped Nathan's arm around his shoulders and helped him to stand up. The counselors drew closer around him and Nathan. "Listen, I don't care what you loonies say, I'm taking him to a doctor. He could bleed to death. Can't you get that through your candy coated brains?"

"You know what you need?" An overly cheerful male said as he walked toward Sam. "You need a lanyard! Our kids made them. They make everything better and sunshine-y!" He said, pulling one of the braided key chains from his pocket and handing it over to Sam. Sam snatched it and put it in his pocket.

"Okay, fine! I'll take it. Now let us go."

"No can do, sonny. No one can leave Camp Sunshine!" The man said with a chuckle. "It's the rules. And if you break the rules, you'll be sent to the Rain Cloud Room until you're feeling more pleasant."

"Rain Cloud Room? What the hell kind of crack are you people on?" Ella said, helping Sam keep Nathan upright . "You can't let this guy bleed to death. From my experience, death _kind of_ puts a damper on people's happiness, which you people seem to have a lot of."

"Anything can be happy if you have the right attitude!" One of the women said.

Sam shook his head. "A guy dying is never a good thing!"

"Let us take him," The man said, holding out his hands. "We'll make sure that he's taken care of."

Sam narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "Not on your life. Ella, go and get the keys for the Impala from Dean."

Ella nodded, "Be careful," She said, before slowly moving away and running after Dean and Oshea. The man shook his head.

"I think that little Sammy here needs a time out." He baby talked.

Sam's eyes widened a little as the counselors closed in on him. One of them took Nathan away from him and the others grabbed at him, holding him still as the man drove his fist into his face. Sam dropped to one knee, dazed.

"I think a little time in the Rain Cloud Room would do you a world of good!" The man said with a bright smile as the other counselors dragged Sam away from the bonfire toward a small dark building. He was shoved violently into a chair that was equipped with thick leather straps at the legs and arms. Sam squirmed and struggled as they tightened the straps painfully over his wrists and ankles.

"You can't do this! He's going to _die!" S_am yelled as the counselors drifted away except for Betty, who closed the door behind them and shook her head. The smile dropped from her face.

"You Winchesters just think you're all that, don't you? Well, I'm not going to let you ruin this for me." She walked around behind Sam and began to fiddle with something on a small table against the wall.

"So it's you… you're the one doing this?" He said, trying to look over his shoulder.

"I just wanted everyone to be happy." She said, shaking her head. "Everything was going great, and then you all had to come and ruin it."

"How are you doing it?"

"It's the lanyards," She said with a little smile, walking over toward him. "I put a spell on them. Anyone who wears them becomes perfectly happy. Don't you want people to be happy?"

Sam tugged against the restraints. "What about the demons? How do they fit into your little world of rainbows and butterflies?"

"They keep troublemakers like you in line." She said lowly. "Plus, they give me more power. Having all these demons here, it's a witch's dream come true. All I have to do is feed them every now and then."

"Feed them?" Sam looked up at her.

"Yes. A counselor or two. Your little friend Nathan is on the menu tonight."

"So all that stuff about being in trouble. About you wanting our help. It was all a lie?"

"Of course it was," She laughed a little. "I had to get you to stay here so I could get rid of you."

"You're not going to get away with this!"

"Oh, I think I will." She said with a smile. "I don't have time to wait for the lanyard to take effect on you. So I think I'll just give you a little dose of my brew." She said as she jabbed a needle into Sam's neck. Sam cried out and squirmed. Betty chuckled.

"Now, don't be a child. This could have been avoided if you had just eaten your pie like a good boy. Don't worry, it won't hurt long, and then you'll be the happiest you've ever been! You'll even smile when the demons pull you apart." She said, stroking back his hair.

xx

Ella rushed into the cabin, the Impala's keys jingling as she held them loosely in her hand. "I can't find Sam anywhere," She said to Oshea and Dean quickly, tossing him back the keys. "I think our super-duper camp counselors took him and Nathan somewhere."

Oshea's eyes widened. "We have to find them. There's no telling what they do to them!"

The door opened and Sam stepped in, smiling happily. "Well there you guys are! I've been looking all over for you! Wasn't that a great bonfire? Man, I love this time of year. All the singing and the super fun activities! We're going to have a great summer!"

Everyone in the room stared blankly at Sam; no one spoke for a good 30 seconds. "Crap," Ella muttered.


	80. It's A Beautiful Day

"RISE AND SHINE, happy campers! It's a bright sunshine-y day!" Sam said loudly as he pushed open the cabin door, letting it strike the wall loudly. He shut the door again. "Don't be lazy now! It's almost six! We have to get up and get ready for our first super duper hiking trip! We're going up the mountain! Come ooooon, sleepy heads! May 2nd is finally here! The first oooooooofficial day of CAMP SUNSHINE!"

"Oshea?" Dean said, his voice a little muffled from the pillow.

"Yeah?" She murmured sleepily.

"Where's my shotgun?"

"Under the bed," She said then her brows furrowed and she opened her eyes a little. "Dean, you can't shoot your brother."

"It's full of rocksalt," This time it was Ella who spoke up. "It won't kill him, but it sure as hell will shut him up."

Castiel blinked a little as he rose from where he had been sitting on the floor. "Sam, your… excessively jovial mannerisms are… concerning me."

Sam laughed and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. "Oh, Castiel. You are such a kidder!" Castiel's eyes widened as he was slightly lifted off the ground then dropped back down as Sam walked over to the beds.

"He reminds me of Cupid…," Castiel said quietly, brushing himself off. "Dean, I think there might be something wrong with your brother."

"Oh really? Because I was under the impression he always acted like that. He's never been the type to brood, of course not, what are you talking about…" Dean muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"No, Dean. I think you are mistaken… Sam has never displayed such… intense feelings of joy in my presence. Isn't it within his normal behavior to _brood_ as you say?" He said, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Sam climbed up the ladder and leaned over Ella, giving her a big kiss on the lips. "Come on, Elly-pie! It's time to get up! The day's a' wastin'!"

Ella's eyes widened as he kissed her and then moved away. She sat up in the bed. "Sam… what happened last night? Did Betty… do something to you?"

Dean arched a brow. "That sounded… dirty.." He said quietly, then he raised his eyebrows a bit. "You and counselor Betty, huh…"

"I do not believe Sam's abrupt joviality is due to a carnal act with the counselor," Castiel said with a little shake of his head.

Oshea groaned, burying her face into Dean's chest. "Dean… while you're at it, why don't you shoot Cas too?"

"Oh, Elly you silly goose," Sam said with a laugh. "Counselor Betty is a super duper friend! But you're my one and only buttercup muffin!" His smile twitched just a little. "But do you want to know a secret? Why I'm so happy?"

She stared at him, too tired and far too annoyed to argue. "What?"

"It's the lanyards," Sam said between clenched teeth. "The lanyards make everything happy sunshine and wonderful! And super duper counselor Betty? She's a wi… a wi… a…" He flinched slightly. "She's a wonderful person! Now we all have to get up! They'll be leaving soon and we don't want to get left behind!"

Ella climbed down from the top bunk and smiled at Sam. "Me and Oshea and Dean are gonna head out to the bathrooms… freshen up a bit so we're not tired during the hike. We will meet you guys when we're done. Sound good?"

Sam bobbed his head and hugged Ella tightly, giving her another kiss as he released her. "Goody gumdrops! Don't take too long!" He said before skipping from the cabin, whistling to himself.

Her smile quickly faded as he left, replaced with a tired frown. "Wow, I bet they must be in so much pain from all that psychotic smiling… my mouth hurts and I barely smile at all."

"I believe he is under some sort of spell," Castiel said. "What is a lanyard?"

"It's braided strips of plastic attached to a key ring," Oshea said with a sigh as she sat up, realizing that she would not be able to get back to sleep between Castiel and Sam. "What are we going to do, Dean?"

Dean sighed and then sat up as well. "I guess we stick to the plan. Distract the kids, while Cas sticks around here and redecorates," He looked at Cas. "There are some cans of paint and a paintbrush or two in the trunk of the Impala, you can start as soon as we all leave for the hike. There has to be a devil's trap in every one of the cabins. Poof into the nearest furniture store and steal some rugs if you have to, whatever you have to do to make sure they can't see them."

Castiel nodded, "I will take care of it. You concentrate on keeping the demons away while I work. I will let you know when the camp is ready."

Oshea stood up and stretched her arms over her head with a yawn. "I guess we'd better hit the showers then." Castiel vanished without another word and Oshea grabbed some clothes from her duffel bag. "I think Sam finished writing down the exorcisms for us." She said, draping her clothes over her shoulder before going to Sam's bag and digging around a little. "Here we go." She took out the pieces of paper. "We're going to need these since our resident exorcist has joined the dark side."

Ella took one of the papers from Oshea, glancing over it. "I've always sucked at Latin," She said with a frown. She dug through her own duffle bag, letting out a little squeak of alarm as a roach scurried past her feet.

Dean scoffed. "This place is like the Hilton compared to that dump me and Sam stayed in back in Goodland," He said, shaking his head a little. "I'll meet you guys back at the main part of the campground. I'm gonna go see if I can find that Nathan guy anywhere."


	81. Stone Cold Crazy

The campers were all gathered in the mess hall, talking amongst themselves while they ate pieces of grilled meat that looked a bit like stake. Some of them were eating bloodied pieces and the juices ran down their chins while they laughed and tore vigorously at the food. Sam was standing off to the side, leaning against one of the room's walls with his arms crossed over his chest, the grin still plastered on his face.

A few minutes later Dean stepped in through the doors of the building. Upon spotting Sam, he then walked in the opposite direction. At the moment, he'd rather be surrounded by evil demonic children then suffer through another one of Sam's psychotic pep talks. He walked over to where one of the other counselors were serving food, arching a brow at the large steak-looking object on the plate. He was about to walk away when his stomach growled loudly. He stood there for a moment, hesitating before he turned back and grabbed a plate, avoiding eye contact with the woman who handed it to him. He sat down at one of the empty tables and poked at the meat with a plastic fork.

Sam looked over and smiled widely seeing Dean sitting at one of the tables. He stood from the wall and energetically strode over to the table, plopping down next to Dean and giving him a firm pat on the back. "Hiya, Dean! Isn't this great? What other place do you know of that serves this kind of thing for breakfast? It's another wonderful day here at Camp Sunshine." He sighed then tilted his head. "So, I saw you wandering around. Are you looking for something?"

Dean poked at the food a few times before finally taking a bite, chewing it slowly. "Uh, yeah," He said, his mouth full of the unknown meat. "I was trying to find that Nathan guy… just to see if he was alright, you know."

Sam looked down at the food with a strange expression then looked back up at Dean. "Well, you found him." He said with a slightly strained laugh.

"What?" He said, still chewing.

"We're having him for breakfast." Sam said, the smile remaining on his face as he stared at Dean.

Dean stopped chewing at stared at Sam before proceeding to spit out the food on the plate. "You are… eating… Nathan?"

Sam nodded very slowly. "Not me. I wasn't very hungry, but the kids. They _love having counselors for breakfast… lunch… dinner…" His voice trailed off and he laughed again. "Betty feeds these kids very well. They're getting so big and strong."_

_Oshea stepped into the mess hall, wearing long pants and a tank top. Her hair hung down over her bare shoulders and the edges of her anti-possession tattoo were barely visible beneath the thin straps. Seeing Dean, she crossed over to him with Ella following. "Okay, Dean, we're ready. Did you find Nathan?" She said, taking a seat down beside of him._

_Ella followed closely behind her. Dean nodded, pushing his plate away and standing from the table. "Sure did… he's… uh… right there," He nodded down at the plate._

_Oshea looked down at the plate and stared a moment, her eyes going very wide. She jerked up from the table, staggering backwards and bringing a hand to her lips. "Oh god… I think I'm going to be sick…" She said weakly._

_Ella frowned a little. "I don't think I've ever been this happy about getting away from food and going on a hike…" She said quietly. _

_It took only a few moments for the children to devour the last of their breakfast. Oshea was still looking a little pale as the group started away from the camp and through the woods. There were no sounds, no birds chirping, no rustling of animals in the grass and bushes. The trail led them up a tall, rocky mountain. _

_Ella walked beside Oshea, and Dean walked on the other side. "This is by far the creepiest case I have ever been on," Ella said loud enough for only Oshea and Dean to hear. "I don't think I'm ever going to eat meat again."_

"_Don't even mention the word," Oshea said with a little groan. Sam was walking beside them, although he was starting to look a little less cheerful than before; his smile was beginning to look more like a grimace. The children were hovering around them with grins. Some of them were licking their lips. Oshea shivered and moved closer to Dean. "Castiel needs to hurry before we become the second course."_

_Ella nodded. "I second that."_


	82. The Show Must Go On

It was hours before the group walked back down the mountain trail toward the campgrounds. When the rickety buildings came into sight, Oshea felt her spirits lift slightly, knowing that they would be able to stop and rest soon. Her stomach gurgled softly from lack of food, as she had not eaten anything since learning about Nathan's culinary demise. Her good feelings left her however, when she saw Dean step off the trail to briefly talk to Castiel, who had appeared among the trees. The devil's traps had all been set. All they needed to do was to wait until the kids had been herded into their cabins then the exorcisms could begin. They had decided to split up so that they could finish more quickly. Oshea frowned as she caught site of Andrew, who was running ahead with the dark haired Brandon just behind of him.

Andrew was the boy who had been stabbed in the wrist, and because of the loss of blood, Oshea knew that he would be dead when they exorcised him. She felt a little twinge of sadness for the boy and hoped that none of the other children would have to die. Whatever those counselors had done to Sam seemed to be slowly wearing off. Though he was still smiling, he was quietly complaining up a storm as he walked beside his brother and Ella.

"My feet are killing me… I can't feel my face, and I hate _everything_." He said, his voice still sounding a bit cheerful. Ella rolled her eyes, but still was a little glad that the words "super duper" and "sunshine-y day" were no longer being thrown around every few moments.

Oshea took a long shower once they had gotten back and changed out of the sweaty, dirty clothes she had worn hiking. She ran her fingers through her damp hair and tugged it back into a ponytail before stuffing her clothes into her duffel bag and grabbing her exorcism cheat sheet. "Alright, are we all ready to go?" She questioned, looking up to Sam, who was laying on his back on the bottom bunk, having collapsed from the exhaustion of not only the long hike, but the energy it took to be so happy at all times.

"Yeah, I am super- duper ready to be rid of this place," Sam said with a little groan.

Ella returned to the room a few moments later, also wearing fresh clothes. Her brown hair fell around her face in damp curls as she sat down on the edge of the bed where Sam was laying. Oshea looked over to Ella and nodded. "Okay. Good, we're all here now. So are we sticking to the plan? I'll take cabin A, Ella can take B, Sam are you up for it?"

Sam nodded slowly, one arm flung over his eyes.

"Okay… you can take C. And Dean will take D. Then we can check the crafts cabin and the mess hall to make sure everything's clear."

Ella nodded. "Sounds good to me, I'll head that way now. See you guys when it's done…" She picked up the exorcism and folded it up, sticking it in her pocket. "Hopefully…" She finished quietly so that no one could hear.

"Be careful," Dean said, looking at Sam and then to Oshea. "If things don't go according to plan, get out of there as fast as you can."

Sam sat up and stood from the bed, nodding. "Like you said, just spout some Latin and then we're done." He stepped from the cabin and Oshea followed after him, glancing back over her shoulder to Dean.

"You be careful, too." She said before leaving the room with the exorcism clutched in her hand.

_xx_

She crossed the dark grassy field, moving quickly toward the first cabin. She could hear yelling and screaming from inside the building. When she opened the door, she was faced with a cabin full of children with inky black eyes. They turned to her and narrowed their eyes. Smiles began to slowly spread across their faces as they parted and Andrew stepped forward.

"That wasn't very nice of you, my sweet, having that nasty little angel lock us in this way."

Oshea said nothing but opened the paper and beginning to read. "_Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei… Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi…_"

Andrew chuckled softly and pulled the skewer from behind his back, pressing it into the tender skin of his wrist. Blood bubbled to the surface and the fluid ran down the side of his arm before splashing to the floor. Oshea stiffened slightly but continued to try to read. "_Filii ejus, Domini et… Judicis… nostri… et in virtute…_"

"You're a persistent little one," He said with a chuckle as he moved to another of the children, piercing a young girl's hand. "Come on… you know you want it. It'll make you stronger. How long has it been since you had some?"

Oshea gritted her teeth. "_Spiritus Sancti, ut descedas ab hoc plasmate Dei…_"

Meanwhile, in cabin D, Dean had just began the exorcisms, when the paper flew from his hands. A small brunette girl with pigtails stepped forward, standing at the very edge of the rug in the center of the room. She grinned a little as she kneeled down pulling up the corner of the rug to reveal part of the devil's trap. Only, part of the paint had been scratched away, breaking the circle. She let the rug fall back in place, looking back up at Dean with a smirk and then over at the door. "Thanks a ton, Betty."

"No problem, dear," Betty said with a wide grin as she leaned against the wall of the building, her arms crossed over her chest. "Did you really think we would make it that easy for you all?"

Sam was standing in the door way of the cabin, reciting the exorcism from memory. "_Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei. Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi Filii ejus, Domini et Judicis nostri et in virtute…" _His voice was very cheerful as he spoke. And the demons taunted him, gathering as close to the edge as they could.

_xx_

Oshea ground her teeth together, trying her best to concentrate on the exorcism as Andrew paced in front of her, his blood smearing on the ground beneath his feet.

"_Per eumdem Christum… Dominum nostrum, qui venturus est judicare vivo et mortuos… et…_" She swallowed hard and placed a hand over her nose and mouth to keep out the smell. "_ Dominum… nostrum, qui venturus et judicare vivo et mortuos et… et.." _She sank down to her knees, panting softly and lowering her hand from her mouth. She started to reach toward the pool of blood on the floor when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She pulled her hand back and glanced up at Castiel, who was looking down on her. The angel moved passed her into the group of demons and pressed his hand against Andrew's head. A bright light burst from the child's eyes and mouth as he screamed then dropped heavily to the floor.

_xx_

The little girl smiled at Betty before lifting her hand quickly and flicking her wrist. Betty's neck cracked, and she fell to the wooden floorboards. The girl turned back to Dean. "She was really beginning to get on my nerves… super duper! Sunshine! La la la!" She mocked, stepping over the broken devil's trap. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she was a big help… but I can only take so much." She turned to look at the group of girls behind her, who were staring at Dean menacingly through black eyes. She moved her hand and flung Dean against the wall, grinning. "Well, come on girls, dig in."


	83. Death On Two Legs

There was a loud splintering of wood, and Castiel turned from the bodies of the children that were laying on the floor of the cabin. The children with the except of Andrew, were groaning softly and panting, beginning to sit up slowly. The angel stepped toward Oshea. "Dean is in trouble."

"What?" She said quickly. "Where is he? At the cabin?"

"Stay here and get the children to safety. I will assist him."

Oshea nodded, looking concerned as she began to usher the children from the cabin. Castiel vanished and reappeared outside of the old cabin. The walls of the cabin were shuddering and dropping pieces of wood and clumps of dust. The angel narrowed his eyes and stepped inside of the building, his brows lifting faintly as he saw Dean.

Dean was laying unconscious on the floor, blood starting to pool around him. He was covered in bruises, and there were deep scratches on his arms and a few on his face. There were a few dark red stains on his shirt and jeans from where the children had stabbed at him with skewers.

Castiel narrowed his eyes and scanned the children before going to Dean. He knelt down and pressed two fingers against Dean's forehead, sending him from the cabin and out onto the grass in front of it while he took care of the demons inside. Oshea rushed across the front lawn of the camp grounds after herding the children into the mess hall for safe keeping. When she saw Dean laying on the grass, she ran to him and curved a hand under Dean's neck. "Dean? DEAN! ELLA! SAM!"

Ella had just finished the last words of the exorcism and started to check on the children to make sure they were okay, when she heard her sister's cries in the distance. She jumped to her feet, quickly telling the children to stay put, and then she was out the cabin door. Sam had just finished himself and rushed out when he heard Oshea calling. His eyes widened when he saw Dean lying on the ground. "DEAN!" He dropped down to his knees beside his brother and shook his head.

"We have to get him to a hospital…"

Castiel stepped out from the cabin and moved to stand beside them. Sam looked up at him quickly. "Cas, you have to do something. Please!" The angel frowned slightly.

"I cannot heal him."

"Do something! Um… send us to the hospital!"

Castiel nodded. "That I can do."

"We'll come to the hospital in the Impala as soon as we finish up here," Oshea said with a nod, standing up with Ella. "Castiel, just remember to come and tell us which hospital you poof him to, okay?"

The angel nodded and pressed his hands against Sam and Dean's foreheads and the three of them vanished.

_xx_

Dean was laying in the hospital bed, unconscious. Neither Sam, Dean, or Oshea were allowed in his room until one of the doctors finally stepped out into the waiting room after what seemed like hours. He told them that they had finally stabilized him, and they could go see him. Sam stepped into the hospital room, frowning when he saw his brother laying unconscious beneath the pale hospital sheets. He ran a hand through his hair and moved over to him, pulling up a chair from beneath a small table and sitting it beside his brother's bed. Oshea sat down wearily on the small sofa. "Is he going to be okay?"

Sam did not look away from his brother. "Yes. He's going to be fine… he has to be."


	84. Growing Up The Hard Way

Several hours later, Sam was still sitting by his brother's bedside. Oshea had finally fallen asleep in the recliner in the corner of the room and Ella was out finding them a nearby hotel to stay in while Dean was in the hospital. He could not believe that this had happened. His brother had always seemed so strong and indestructible. He had always been the one to save Sam, to protect him and keep him in line. "You can't go, Dean. I need you." He whispered, rubbing his tired eyes and giving a little sigh. "Dean… wake up… please?" He looked up at his brother and leaned forward, resting his arms on the edge of the bed. "Okay… um… can you hear me? Dean… come on, you've survived more than this before. Remember that time… the doctors said you were going to die because of your heart? We fixed that… I mean… in a non-conventional way of course, but still we made it through it." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again, falling quiet for a moment. "You have to be okay, Dean. I hate to pull the dad card on you, but you promise him that you'd stay with me. That you'd take care of me… you're not going to go against dad's orders are you?" He gave a little weak smile that faded almost immediately. He stared down at the white sheets. "Remember… that time when I was seven? You were eleven. And um…. I had that teacher… Ms. Lyle…? I think it was…?"

_xx_

_ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, 1991_

_xx_

Dean Winchester grabbed the box of Froot Loops off the counter, pouring some into two separate bowls that were sitting on the small, square shaped table in the middle of the room.. "Sammy, breakfast! Get your lazy butt up or you're going to be late," The twelve year old yelled, pulling, the half empty milk carton out of the mini fridge in the small kitchen of the motel room and pouring it in with the cereal. "Fine," He said, a little louder, glancing over at the bed where Sam was laying. "I guess you're just going to miss the Dork Fair, which is too bad, because I'd bet you'd win."

The little boy groaned softly, squirming beneath the covers before he poked his head out from beneath the covers at the foot of the bed. "Where's dad?" He asked, his voice groggy. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and crawled out from the bed, his brows furrowing. "I wanted to show him my project." He shuffled over toward the table, his dark hair messy from sleep. His eyelids were drooping over his hazel eyes. His pajama pants were dragging the floor.

Dean shook his head. "Out," was all he said as he pulled two spoons out of the silverware drawer and stuck one in Sam's bowl, sliding it across the table in front of where Sam had sat down. "Hurry up and eat so we can get ready to leave. Ms. Lyle said you're supposed to be there early so that she can take you to the fair and you can start setting up your project," He said, and then sat down across from him at the table, starting in on his cereal.

Sam climbed into the seat, kicking his little legs out as he scrambled up into it. Sitting down, he stared at the cereal. Leaning one elbow against the table, he held his cheek in his palm and idly stirred the cereal around the bowl with the tip of his spoon. "Dean?" He whispered, not looking up at him. "Do you think dad will be able to come see it?" He already knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway. There was always the chance that this time would be different.

He sighed impatiently. "I donno, Sammy," His brother replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Sam asked a _lot_ of questions… but in a way, he couldn't really blame him for that. "He's real busy with work, you know that."

Sam sighed and nodded, his expression falling. "I know." His shoulders slumped slightly and he stopped stirring the cereal. Without touching it, he stretched out his legs and dropped down to the floor, going over to their bags and pulling out his clothes. He tugged his pajama shirt over his head, struggling a bit to get it off.

Dean rolled his eyes a bit, standing up from the table. He walked over and helped Sam with the shirt, and then returned to his own cereal. "Get dressed, and then finish your food… I'm not gonna have dad mad at me for not feeding you."

"What would he care? He's never here anyway," He grumpily complained, rubbing at his eyes again as he pulled on a t-shirt then wriggled out of his pants and replaced them with jeans.

Dean held his tongue; arguing with Sam was not how he wanted to start this day. Instead, he focused on finishing his cereal. Already in the clothes he planned to wear for the day, he plopped down on the end of one of the queen sized beds and flipped through the channels on the television as he waited for Sam to finish getting ready. Sam finished putting on his clothes then watched Dean a moment before he slipped back over to the table and ate a few bites. He didn't want to get his brother in trouble.

"Okay," he said, swallowing a mouthful of his breakfast. "I'm ready."

Dean nodded and tucked his hunting knife in the back pocket of his jeans, pulling on his jacket to cover it. He grabbed the motel key, sticking it in his other pocket. They were halfway out the door when Dean rolled his eyes and stopped. "Sam. Your project."

Sam gave a little noise of surprise and whirled, scampering back into the hotel room. He dug around the room a few moments before he returned with a poster board under his arm and a little Styrofoam robot. "Do you really think I have a chance to win, Dean?" he asked as he scurried after his brother, his disappointment at the thought of his dad not being there gone as he began to grow excited about the fair.

"Of course, Sam," Dean said, closing the door behind them as they started down the sidewalk. "You're the biggest dork in your class… and I mean that in the nicest way possible."

Sam made a face. "Thanks, Dean." He grumbled, pouting slightly. He had to walk fast to keep up with Dean's longer strides. "Do you think…," He was panting a little. "Do you think that if I win dad will be proud of me?"

"Duh, Sam, why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know," Sam said, pausing to kick at a rock on the sidewalk. "He just… he doesn't seem to care when I try to talk to him about school stuff. And he's always busy. He didn't come to Parent's Day… or the play I was in… I got to be the sunbeam and everything." He jogged a little to catch up to his brother. "Sometimes… sometimes I think that he doesn't like me. Or maybe," His brows furrowed. "I did something… maybe he's ashamed of me…?"

"That's ridiculous… Dad's always been proud of you," Dean said, shaking his head. They passed by a gas station, so Dean knew the school was only a couple blocks away. Sam glanced up at him then looked back down at his feet.

"I guess so." He said without sounding convinced. As the school came into view, he smiled and sped up, scurrying toward the building.

Dean rolled his eyes as he jogged a bit to catch up. When they reached the school, they saw a couple of cars in the nearly vacant parking lot. It was a Saturday, and school was out. Dean couldn't wait to drop by the gas station on the way back, stock up on junk food for the evening, and then sit back at the motel watching movies. When they got closer, they saw a woman leaning against one of the cars. When she saw them, she straightened, and smiled. "Hello, Sam."

Sam was panting as he reached the car. He smiled brightly. "Hi, Ms Lyle!" He said cheerfully. "Thank you for taking me!"

"It's no problem at all, Sam, anything for my best student," She glanced at Dean, arching a brow before she looked back to Sam. "So, is this your project?"

Sam nodded, showing the Styrofoam robot to her proudly. "This is it! It's a Nanorover!" He said with a smile.

"Wow… impressive," She nodded, raising her eyebrows a little. "Well, we better head over to the community center, everyone is already setting up their projects now," She opened the passenger side door to the two door Chrysler Sebring, and stepped aside. "You can put your… Nanorover in the backseat."

Sam leaned into the vehicle and placed the project in the backseat carefully before looking to Dean. "Bye, Dean." He gave a little wave before he pulled himself up into the car and sat down in the seat. He pulled the seatbelt on and clicked it into place, kicking his legs a little.

Dean nodded and stepped back from the car, waving at Sam a little. Ms. Lyle closed the passenger side door and glanced back at Dean as she walked around the side of the car. She blinked, her eyes turning black for only a second before they returned to normal and she got into the car, speeding off, leaving Dean standing alone in the parking lot.

Dean ran back to the motel as fast as his short twelve year old legs would take him. He grabbed the motel's phone, dialing his dad's cell phone number from memory. As it rang, all he could think about was the woman with the black eyes, and how much trouble he was going to get into for letting her take off with his little brother. After several rings, a male voice finally answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Dad, it's Dean," He said quickly, "I took Sammy to meet Ms. Lyle, just like you told me to. I walked him to the school, he got into her car.. And her eyes turned black and she drove away. She took Sam! And on the way back here I stopped by fair, and they weren't there either, I… don't know what to do."

"You let Sam be taken? Dean, you're supposed to protect him, you should have realized that something was wrong before he got into the car." The voice said a bit roughly into the phone. There was a sigh. "Calm down, Dean. You're not going to be of any use if you panic. Which way did they go and how long has it been since they left?"

"They turned left on that road next to the school… I tried to run after them, but… I couldn't. They've been gone for about ten minutes… maybe fifteen."

"Alright. Stay where you are. I'll go after him." He said gruffly as he rushed to the car and climbed inside, peeling out of the place where he had parked and tearing down the road.

"No, Dad, I want to come with you. I want to make sure he's okay," Dean urged.

"Fine." He said gruffly. "Be ready. I'll come by the hotel and get you. But you stay out of the way. I don't need the extra worry. You're going to have to be more careful, Dean. Sammy could be hurt or worse. I gave you one job while I was away… one job: protect Sammy. If you can't do that, how am I supposed to trust you to take up my mantle some day?"

Dean sighed. "Fine, just hurry." And then he hung up. While waiting, he walked over to his dad's bed, reaching his hand over the mattress and pulling out a thick, leather bound journal. He stared at it for a few minutes, and then hid it inside the jacket he was wearing as he stepped outside and waited outside for his father.

_xx_

Ms. Lyle parked the car on the side of the road, stepping out of the vehicle and walking around it. She jerked the door handle open, and then pulled Sam out of the passenger's seat roughly, holding onto his wrist tightly as she dragged him along. Up ahead there was a four way intersection, a crossroads. The gravel made noises under her feet as they walked towards the center. Sam's brows furrowed as they stopped on the side of the road. "Ms. Lyle… where are we?" His eyes widened as she jerked him from the seat and began to pull him along toward the crossroads. "Where are we going?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that now, little Sammy Winchester," She said, shaking her head. "You'll learn soon enough…"

Sam frowned a bit, glancing over his shoulder toward the car. He looked around and shook his head, stopping and digging his heels into the ground. He tugged at his wrist. "I think…. I need to go back home…"

"You mean back to that dump of a motel?" She clicked her tongue. "That isn't your home, Sam. You are special, you are meant for greater things than science projects and school, boy."

The young boy bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I just want to go back to my brother, Dean. Please, Ms. Lyle…"

"Sorry, no can do," She shook her head. "Your brother does not understand how special you are… not really. And when it comes down to it, he won't be there for you."

"Let me go! Please!" Sam said, growing fearful. He paused as he heard the squealing of tires. The Impala tore over the gravel road, kicking up dust and pieces of gravel. Sam gave a sigh of relief, pulling even harder against his supposed teacher. "Dad!"

John flung open the door of the Impala, cocking his shotgun. "Stay in the car, Dean." He said, slamming the door behind himself as he walked forward. "Renee, what on earth are you doing?"

Ms. Lyle grinned. "Well _hello _Johnny boy."

Sam squirmed. "Dad, I want to go home!"

John narrowed his eyes faintly. "Renee, let my son go." He said firmly.

"Now why would I do that? Sammy here is special… he's one of us," She said, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Leave, John… before you get yourself hurt."

"I'm not leaving without Sam," John said, raising the shotgun. Sam jerked and pulled again Ms. Lyle, trying his best to get away from her.

"Dad! Dean!"

The shotgun flew out of John's hands and landed in Ms. Lyle's. "I _said…_" She said slowly, raising her hand and flinging him backwards several yards. "…You're going to get yourself hurt."

John gasped as he was thrown back against the Impala. He dropped down onto the ground, grunting. He placed a hand on the hood of the car and pulled himself up. While Renee was distracted by John, Sam leaned back with all of his weight and his wrist slipped through the woman's grasp. He staggered back, dropping to the dusty road then pushed himself to his feet clumsily. Breathing hard, he started to move away from Ms. Lyle toward the Impala.

"No you don't!" She said quickly, starting to go after Sam, but she was stopped right in her tracks.

"_Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei…" _The twelve year old Dean had ran out of the Impala, against orders. He had stolen his dad's journal, flipped right to the exorcism, and started reading. He couldn't just sit around and let this thing kill his dad, and take his brother God knows where. His dad told him to protect Sammy, and that's exactly what he was going to do.

Ms. Lyle glared at Dean. "An exorcism? You're kidding m-"

"_Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi Filii ejus, Domini et Judicis nostri et in virtute…" _Dean continued to read the Latin aloud, and black smoke started to slowly pour from her mouth. As he finished, the smoke jerked violently from her mouth with a scream and she fell to the gravel.

Dean sighed, closing the book at looking down at Sam. "You okay, Sammy?"

_You okay, Sam?_


	85. Bad Advice

…._Sam?_

"Sam!"

Sam jerked a little, blinking slowly as he woke up. His chest ached from being leaned over the metal railings on the side of the bed and his arm and wrist were sore from holding up his head. He shifted, groaning a little and rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. Oshea was standing by the bed, her hand resting against his shoulder.

"Sam, you really should come to the hotel. You've been here for almost two weeks straight. Have you even eaten? You look terrible…"

"I'm fine," He said groggily, closing his eyes again and leaning his forehead against the heel of his hand. "Where's Ella?"

"She's here… she swung by the cafeteria. Getting some coffee… and such…" Oshea said with a frown.

The door opened, and Ella stepped into the room holding three cups of coffee. She handed Oshea one of them, and then sat down on the armrest of the chair Sam was sitting in, handing the coffee cup to him as she took a tiny sip of her own. Sam took the cup from her and drummed the tips of his fingers against the sides of the cup. He lifted it and took a slow sip of the liquid.

"Have you talked to Bobby?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he said for us to call him if anything changes."

Sam blinked slowly, his eyelids heavy. "Okay… thanks. I would have done it myself, but…" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "There's no been any change in two weeks, Ella… I don't know what to do. I feel helpless… I can't… do anything… have you seen Cas? Or Joel? Maybe one of them can do something…"

"If they could have done anything, they would have done it by now," She said, shaking her head as she put a hand on his back. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted as Dean suddenly started making gasping noises, and the monitor next to his bed started beeping rapidly. Ella's eyes widened and she jumped from the chair. "I'll go get a doctor," She said, quickly leaving the room. A few moments later the room was filled with nurses, shooing Sam and Oshea out of the room.

Sam's eyes widened and the grogginess immediately left him. "Dean!" He struggled a little against the nurses, not wanting to leave. Finally, he stepped out of the room, but stood at the doorway, feeling his eyes burning as tears rose to them. "Come on, Dean… you can't do this to me." The lights in the hallway flickered as Joel and Castiel appeared in the hallway. Sam turned and looked at them.

"Joel… Cas, please… you have to do something!"

Castiel kept his eyes down. Joel glanced to him then sighed, looking up at Sam. "I… I can't interfere with how things are supposed to be…"

Ella frowned, wanting to argue, but she knew they were right. They couldn't always fix things, they couldn't always clean up after their messes. She stayed quiet, and stepped between Joel and Sam, knowing if she didn't, Joel would probably end up breaking Sam's fist with his face. "Sam, come on… they're… they're just as helpless as we are when it comes to this."

"No, they're not!" Sam said weakly, the fight having completely left him. "They're not. They could do something… Joel… you're an archangel now. You could fix this. Do you know what I would do? What lengths I would go to to save him? But I can't… I'm… I'm begging, Joel. Please… I can't lose my brother…"

Joel stiffened, his jaw tightening. "You act as if I have a choice."

"You do."

"Sam… you just have to have faith that what is supposed to happen will." He said quietly.

"He's right, Sam. I don't want anything to happen to Dean either… it kills me to see you like this," She sighed as she looked over at the closed door of Dean's room. "Joel… are you absolutely one hundred percent sure you can't do _anything _to help Dean?"

Joel sighed and looked up at the door, staring at it. Castiel glanced to him with a small frown. "Joel… you can't." Joel looked to Ella, frowning a little. As much as he tried to deny it, he could not help the feelings that he was developing for her. He just had a hard time saying no to her. Castiel turned toward him. "Joel." Joel took a step forward to the door.

Just as Joel started approaching the door, it swung open and the doctor stepped out. The other nurses that had been in the room left, disappearing down the hall.

"How is he? What's going on?" Ella asked as soon as she saw the doctor walk out of the room and out into the hall where they stood.

"We stabilized him… and he's doing quite well now. His vitals are good… we don't know how this happened, but we believe he will make a full recovery," The doctor said.

Sam's eyes widened and he glanced to Joel, who was smiling. He shook his head a little and Sam turned back to the doctor. "He… thank you." He whispered, nodding. "Thank you…" He said as the doctor left and walked back down the hall.

Joel smiled and looked to Sam. "You see? You should just have a little faith."

Sam gave a weak little laugh and shook his head. "Joel, I'm…. well.. I didn't…"

"I understand. You're only human after all," He said with a grin, patting his back. "Go on and be with your brother."

Sam nodded and stepped through the door into the room.

Ella watched Sam with a smile as he disappeared into the room. She looked up at Joel. "Thank you."

Joel furrowed his brows. "For what? I didn't do anything, Ella."

"You would have, that's what counts," She smiled a bit and turned from him, walking with Oshea into Dean's room.

Joel stared after Ella, watching her as she disappeared into the room. He sighed heavily and turned around, combing his fingers through his hair. Castiel stared at him, frowning. "Joel… these feelings that you are having… they are dangerous. Perhaps you should assign someone else to keep an eye on Ella."

"No, Castiel. I'm alright."

"You're not." Castiel said softly, shaking his head. "You know how this will end. If you try to pursue your feelings, you will be breaking a very important law. Guardian angels are not to form intimate relationships with their charges. You might be an archangel now, but you are still her guardian, you still have to follow the rules."

"There's no sense in telling me things I already know, Castiel." Joel glanced at him with a little frown. "I do not trust anyone else with Ella. Look what happened with Ezra… with Jael…" Castiel flinched slightly at the name, and Joel sighed. "I cannot risk something like that happening again. Next time we might be too late."

"What about Jude?" Castiel murmured. "We can trust him."

"I'll think about it." Joel murmured, staring through the window into Dean's room, watching Ella.

"Please, Joel. This will only end badly." He said quietly before he vanished.

Joel took in a deep breath and released it in a sigh, his breath creating a little circle of fog against the window before he, too, vanished.


	86. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely

_POTLATCH, IDAHO_

Erica Dellinger's face was aglow with the light emanating from the display of her cell phone. Her thumbs danced across the keyboard as she typed out a text message. Furiously, she snapped the device closed and shook her head. She could not believe that she had trusted that idiot Jacob. Her friend Margaret had tried to warn her that he was a shameless flirt and that he was known for cheating, but did she listen? Of course not. That was why she was here, walking down the sidewalk in the dark after her late shift at the Film Farm. Jacob normally picked her up, but where was he now? At a party with some blonde bimbo. Erica was still wearing her red button down uniform shirt over her thigh length skirt. She hated her job, but at least they let her wear her skirt and her netting stockings and her combat boots. Nibbling on the tips of her nails, which were painted a rainbow of colors, she crossed the street and moved to the other sidewalk, turning down the road. She stuck the ear buds of her iPod into her ears and cranked up her music. Her home was just in sight when the cold shiver tore up her spine and she noticed her breath materializing into a cloud of fog. A gloved hand clamped about her mouth and she barely had time to register what was happening before the knife was plunged deep into her abdomen.

_xx_

_SOIUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA_

_xx_

Moonlight was filtering through the windows as Sam walked through the quiet home. Dean had just been let out of the hospital a few days before, and the group was taking a much needed break from hunting while Dean got his strength back. They had been staying with Bobby, and neither Sam or Dean had seen much of the elder hunter and Oshea, who were both searching for more information on the ritual that Jonah had said would halt the apocalypse. Since Dean had been spending the majority of his time popping Vicodin and sleeping and Oshea and Bobby had been caught up in their research, Sam and Ella had been spending more and more time together and as a result had gotten closer. However, it was not Ella that Sam was hoping to speak to that night as he paced Bobby's home barefoot. One of his hands was in his pocket, and the other was nervously combing through his messy brown hair. "Dean?" He whispered, moving into the bedroom where Dean had been spending the majority of his time. "Dean, are you awake?"

"Yeah. Wide awake," Dean grumbled from underneath the covers. He sighed, sitting up and leaning over to turn on the lamp. He winced a little. The bruises on his face and arm were still barely visible, but hurt like hell. Not to mention the skewer wounds. "Those little demon campers really pissed me off. I can barely move without being in pain," He grumbled, reaching for the medicine bottle that was on the nightstand next to a half empty glass of water. "I feel like House or something, having to pop pills every few hours," He rolled his eyes. "So what are you doing up?"

Sam closed the door behind himself and moved in to sit down on the side of the bed. "Just don't get addicted to them. We can't afford too many more of those meds, you know." He said with a little smile. The smile faded as he looked down and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Well... I just... I have something I need to talk to you about. It's pretty important." He pulled out a small velvet box from the pocket of his pajama pants, staring at it as he spoke.

Dean arched a brow. "Sam. What is that?"

"This... is what I wanted to talk to you about," He said, opening the little box and showing Dean the thin golden band with a small diamond. "I... I want to ask Ella to marry me, Dean."

"You're not serious.." Dean said, glancing back and forth at the ring and then at Sam. He snatched the small box from him and arched a brow. "Where the hell did you get the money for this thing anyway?"

"I'm very serious, Dean. Why wouldn't I be?" Sam said with a slight frown as he let Dean take the ring from him. "Hustling pool mostly." He answered. "I got it at a pawn shop while we were in Laurens, Georgia... you know, before all that stuff with Jael..."

Dean looked the ring over and handed it back to his brother. "Look, I want you to be happy, but with all the stuff that's going on right now do you really think marriage is something you should be worried about?"

"With all that's going on? Dean, when is something _not _going on?" Sam said as he took back the box with the ring and closed it with a soft snap. "Our job... it doesn't have an end." He stood up with a sigh and stepped to the window. "I used to think that.. if we could just catch the thing that killed mom, then things could be normal. But... things are never going to be normal for us." He looked over his shoulder toward Dean. "It's not some job we can retire from. Dean, I don't want hunting to be the only thing in my life. I want a family... maybe that's selfish, but considering everything that we have done, everyone we've saved, I think I'm entitled to have at least one thing in my life that is for me..."

"So you and Ella are going to get married, have adorable plaid wearing babies... and then what? Gonna drag them around from town to town while we try to hunt monsters and avoid an apocalypse at the same time? Have them grow up and have the same life as us?" He rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, because we know how _that _turned out.."

He whirled around to face his brother, his eyes narrowed slightly. "So what I'm just supposed to give up what I want for this job, this life, that I never even wanted in the first place? Haven't I sacrificed

enough, done enough...?" He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Even now, there are times when I'd like to just stop. But I can't. This job is going to haunt me forever... until I die. Having kids grow up like we did isn't ideal... but... it's the only chance I have, Dean."

"Sam, just think about how we were raised, what we had to go through, what Dad put us through... I don't know about you, but I would never want to do that to a kid," Dean shook his head. "Just... take some more time to think about this, Sam, that's all I'm saying."

Sam shook his head, pushing the ring box back into his pocket and stepping toward the door. "You know, Dean... this time I was actually _hoping _for one of your 'our lives weren't that bad' speeches... Just a little encouragement, you know? A little hope...? Is that really too much to ask?" With that, he stepped from the room and shut the door behind himself.


	87. Good Day In Hell

The next morning, the smell of eggs and biscuits and bacon filled the air of the Singer household. Ella had decided to cook breakfast for everyone. Seeing how things had been so stressful lately, she thought it was time for everyone to have a normal, home cooked meal for once. She had gotten up especially early, so that she could surprise everyone once they woke up. But when she saw Dean wander in the room, rubbing his eyes groggily, she realized that even if she had gotten up earlier, those Winchesters would find their way into the kitchen anyway. "What, do you have some kind of food radar?" She said jokingly, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the stove.

"He does," Sam said as he walked into the room after his brother, stretching his arms over his head with a small yawn. He was wearing only his loose pair of sleeping pants, which hung a little over his feet because of his height. He walked up behind Ella and curved his arms around her middle, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her cheek before leaning his head against hers. "This smells really good."

Oshea and Bobby were the last to migrate into the kitchen. Oshea looked exhausted as she had been up much of the night researching and had fallen asleep in the study. She plopped down into a chair and laid her head down on the table, groaning a little. Bobby took in a deep breath and smiled.

"The kitchen hasn't smelled this good since angel boy got his memory back."

"This was supposed to be a surprise," She said with a little pout. The microwave beeped, and she walked over and opened it, pulling out a plate full of sizzling bacon. "Okay, the eggs are done, and the bacon. Biscuits will be done in a few more minutes." She said, smiling proudly. So far, no food had been burned in the process, which was a big achievement for her. She had almost not noticed Dean walking across the room to the plate, about to snatch up a piece of bacon. She slapped his hand away. "Nuh uh, no touchy until all the food is done. And we're going to all sit down and eat it together. We all could use a break from all the researching."

"Oh believe me, we're surprised. Surprised you didn't burn Bobby's house down," Oshea said with a little smirk, lifting her head up from the table. She looked over to Dean as he sat down at the table beside her. "How are you feeling? Any better?" Sam rubbed Ella's back gently as he stepped away to sit down at the table beside his brother. Bobby sat down on the other side of Oshea, leaving a space beside Sam for Ella to sit.

"Better than the past couple days," He replied with a shrug. "But I woke up with a headache thanks to the lovely souvenirs the children of Camp Sunshine gave me," He said, pointing to the light bruises on the side of his face "I took some pain meds, so if I pass out on my food sometime during the meal, do not be alarmed."

Sam grinned widely as he looked across the table at his elder brother and snickered. "Dude, you got whaled on by a bunch of little girls."

"A cabin full of possessed girls," Dean corrected, glaring. "You were lucky you weren't the one getting the holy crap beat out of you. I'm surprised they let you last during that whole hike. Going on and on about daisies and sunshine. And god... when you started singing..." He shook his head slowly.

Sam's smile immediately faded. "Hey, I was drugged up with some witch's brew and given one of those cursed lanyards, so that doesn't count! You were in your right mind when you got your butt handed to you by those little tiny girls!"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Boys..."

Dean rolled his eyes. "He started it..."

Ella laughed a little and then turned to the stove, grabbing oven mitts and pulling out the pan of hot, homemade biscuits from the oven and sitting the pan on top of the stove. "Breakfast is served..." She said with a smile. "... as soon as one of you sets the table."

Sam stood up from the table with a small smile. "I'll do it." He said, going over to the cabinets and gathering the plates and utensils. While he set the table, Bobby cleared his throat.

"Not that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed you all being here every second of the day for the passed few days, but," he said, pulling out a few newspaper articles and setting them down in the center of the table. "There is something I think you all need to look at. Five women were murdered in Potlatch, Idaho. All of them were walking the streets at night alone, and all of them were murdered the same way. Multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and some of their organs were removed."

Ella sighed. "Of course, the first time I make breakfast for everyone, death or missing organs is the topic of conversation." She sat down and started looking over one of the newspaper articles, as Sam got the food and plates ready.

"Don't worry, Ella, nothing can kill Dean's appetite. Or mine for that matter." He said as he finished fixing the plates for everyone. Once all the food had been distributed, he sat down beside Ella and took one of the articles after pushing one of the pieces of bacon into his mouth. "Why does this sound familiar..."

"It's because it is," Bobby said with a deep frown. "Not only have the women been stabbed and some of their organs removed, but whoever did this signed his work 'From Hell.' "

Sam's eyes widened and he looked up at Bobby. " 'From Hell?' Like... like Jack the Ripper?"

"Of course," Ella muttered again, "Jack the Ripper... our lives are so weird."

"Could be a copycat..." Dean said, "But then again, if all these demons are escaping from Hell because of the last seal being broken, who knows what else got out, too."

"Well that's a pleasant thought," Ella frowned.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Bobby said, glancing to Dean as he took a bite of one of the biscuits. "This is _really_ good." he said with a little smile before swallowing and continuing. "I figured you all could at least check it out."

"I don't know, Bobby. Dean," Sam said, his brows furrowed a little as he looked to his brother. "Do you think you can handle it? I mean... are you feeling up to a case right now?"

"I'll be fine," Dean replied, "We can head that way tomorrow, if you want."

Sam frowned, watching his brother with concern. "Alright, but I'm driving. The last thing we need is you passing out at the wheel."


	88. Don't You Know What Night Can Do?

They left Bobby's early the next morning after thanking Bobby for letting them crash there, and arrived in Potlatch, Idaho sometime after midnight that night.

The next morning, Dean grabbed everyone some coffee from the diner a couple of buildings over, and then walked back to the motel. When he stepped inside, he saw that Sam was awake. Sam yawned a little as he glanced up from the screen of his laptop. He took in a deep breath of the aroma of the coffee and reached up one hand to take one of the cups from his brother. "There was another attack last night," He said, taking a sip of the coffee.

"Same as the others?" Dean asked, sitting down on the edge of the other bed as he took a slow sip from his own coffee.

"Mm-mmm," Sam said, his brows furrowing as he scrolled down and swallowed the next mouthful of coffee. "This time there was a note taped to the streetlight over the woman's body. It said, 'Fondest greetings to the Winchesters and Blackwoods. Welcome to my city.' And on the woman's stomach, he carved, 'From Hell.' " Sam shook his head. "He knew we were here..."

Dean frowned. "Kinda strange that Jack the Ripper is on a last name basis with us... then again, all of this is pretty strange," He shrugged. "Do you reckon it's some kind of copycat? A lot of demons know our names now, and they all want us dead. They mighta known we'd show. Hell, for all we know Jonah told everyone we were trying to undo our little apocalyptic boo-boo, and if that's so, then I'm sure they're gonna try to stop us."

"I don't know, Dean. Jack the Ripper was known for writing letters to the police who were investigating his murders. He sent them packages with organs of his victims. It doesn't seem like a stretch to think that he'd find out who we were and write to us. Least he isn't sending us kidneys," He took another sip of coffee.

"Amen to that," Dean muttered. "Guess we should wake them up if we wanna get started?" He said, nodding his head over to each of the beds where Ella and Oshea were still fast asleep.

Sam nodded and walked over to Ella, stroking back her hair before he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Hey, Ells, wake up."

Ella groaned a little. "What time is it?" She asked sleepily.

Dean took a sip of his coffee. "Apparently it's time to go hunt down Jack The Ripper."

Ella arched a brow as she sat up in bed. "Oh goodie..." She rubbed her eyes tiredly before proceeding to toss a pillow across the room at her sister's sleeping form. "Wake up, Oshea."

Oshea gave a little squeak of alarm as the pillow struck her and lifted her head in confusion. She looked down at the pillow and groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Okay so...we really dealing with the Ripper?"

"Looks like it," Sam said with a nod. "We just need to figure out a way to draw him out."

"Well that's easy enough," Oshea said, climbing from the bed and stretching her arms over her head. "He targets nice looking women out on the street. My sister and I are nice looking women. Ella and I can get all dolled up, go for a stroll and you both can follow us."

Ella frowned. "As much as I do not like that plan... she has a point."

Dean shook his head. "I don't like it... I mean, if we're actually dealing with the Jack The Ripper here, I don't think we're going to get him that easily."

"I didn't say it would be easy," Oshea said, pulling her hair down from the ponytail she had tied it into to hold it back while she slept. She combed her fingers through it. "But I don't think we have much of a choice. He could be anywhere. We could search all night and come away with only another dead body. Besides, he was fond of brunettes and red heads." She said with a shrug.

"I hate this, too, Dean, but it might be our best chance to figure out what we're dealing with. We still aren't sure if this is a spirit or some kind of demon," Sam said with a frown.

Dean sighed. "I guess you're right... it's a stupid and dangerous plan, but you're right, we don't have much of a choice."

Ella nodded. "So we wait?"

"So we wait," Dean nodded.

_xx_

The sun was just starting to set as the two Blackwood sisters stepped out of the motel room and started walking aimlessly down the sidewalk.

"Shoes this painful should be outlawed!" Ella exclaimed with a little frown "I feel like a freakin' hooker," She gestured down at her outfit. She was wearing a dark blue denim mini skirt, and a low cut maroon colored top. She stumbled a bit in the two inch strappy high heeled shoes that adorned her already aching feet. "If we get arrested because we're mistaken for prostitutes, just remember, this was your plan."

"You're supposed to," Oshea said as she plucked a cigarette from between her lips, which were painted with blood red gloss. She was clothed in a tight leather black and red corset top and a skirt that just barely dropped below her hips. Over this she wore a black peat coat that hung open. Her heeled boots were leather as well and stretched up over her knee. The buckles that ran up the sides were all tightly buckled so that the boots clung to her slender legs. Her long red hair spilled over her shoulders in messy curls. She had on fake red nails and black eye shadow darkened her eyelids. "Don't stumble! You have to be convincing." She said softly. When they reached the corner of the road, she paused. "Okay, we need to split up, cover more ground that way. Dean is going to follow me in the Impala, and Sam will be watching from that Laundromat over there." She said, discreetly nodding in the direction of the small, dimly lit building.

Ella nodded. "Okie dokie. See you in a little bit... hopefully," She said quietly. "Be careful," She added and then walked off in the opposite direction.

Oshea nodded and stepped across the road, pushing her hands into the pockets of her coat. She paused once under one of the streetlights and pulled out a compact, pretending to touch up her make up while she looked in the mirror to make sure no one was behind her.

It began to grow very dark and so far nothing had happened. It was to the point that Ella was thinking about turning back and finding the others. Just as she started to go back the other way, however, she suddenly felt a terrible chill shoot up her spine and her breath began to slip from her lips in a pale fog. The streetlight by her flickered and buzzed erratically.

Ella froze as she watched her breath and then looked up slowly at the flickering street light. As she turned and saw a dark figure stepping out of the shadows of one of the alleys, she started backing away as the figure stepped towards her. The streetlight flickered again; a grin tugging on the man's lips was visible for a moment before the streetlight flickered a last time and turned off, making the man just a dark figure once more.

The form flickered and disappeared from view. Just a second later, Ella felt his hand curve about her mouth. She was jerked against him into the shadows of a dark alley and he leaned down toward her ear.

"You are quite beautiful, Miss Blackwood... you should not have come here alone. I know that the younger Winchester is here... but he will not be quick enough to save you."


	89. Careless Whisper

Sam had only glanced down a moment to check the time. He had left the Laundromat after Ella had wandered out of his field of vision and had followed at a reasonable distance, making sure to dip into the surrounding buildings so that the spirit or demon did not realize he was tailing her. Looking up from his watch, his eyes widened as he saw that she was gone. He did not hesitate before leaving the store and jogging down the sidewalk. "Ella?"

Ella tried to yell Sam's name, but her cry for help was muffled by the man's hand covering her mouth. She was suddenly thrown against the brick wall of the building, crying out in pain. She slowly tried to stand back up, lifting a hand to feel the back of her head where she had hit the wall. Blood was smeared on her hand as she pulled it away and looked down. She was caught off guard as the figure lunged towards her, pinning her against the wall. "I came here to thank you and your sister personally for starting this whole apocalypse thing and letting me out, but seeing as she's not here at the moment, I'll just let you pass the message along," He grinned a bit before pulling out a blade that seemed to come out of nowhere, and shoving it into her abdomen.

He pulled the blade from her stomach and brought it to his lips, running his tongue over the blade and smearing the blood. He smirked and thrust the knife back into her midsection. He had lifted it for a third strike when there was a gunshot. His form flickered and vanished briefly before reappearing by Sam, who had appeared in the alley. The spirit lifted the knife and struck Sam across the face with the blunt end of the hilt, sending him staggering. The gun skittered away from him, and his attacker drove his fist into his face before kicking him to the ground. Sam crawled forward and snatched up the gun, twisting onto his back and aiming just as the spirit lurched toward him with the knife. The gun fired and the spirit's form burst into ash and vanished. Sam scrambled to his feet, rushing over to Ella and kneeling down beside her. He pulled out his cell phone in a panic and called the first person on his contacts as he shed his shirt and pressed it to her wounds. "Dean! Dean... Ella's been hurt, we need to get to a hospital! Now!"

Less than a minute later the sound of the Impala came roaring down the street, Dean behind the wheel and Oshea sitting shotgun. As soon as the car stopped, Dean hopped out of the vehicle and ran to help Sam put Ella in the back seat of the car. Ella groaned quietly as they started to move her.

_xx_

It was in the early hours of the next morning before the doctors were able to stabilize Ella. The sun did not come that day. Instead, the sky was black and rain was pouring down from the sky. Oshea crossed her arms over her chest as she stood outside of her sister's room. The doctors only allowed one person at a time while Ella was still in critical condition, and Sam was inside now. He had pulled up a chair right beside her bed and was holding her hand in his while he spoke quietly to her. Oshea sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She had gone back to the hotel just long enough to change into her black zip up hoodie and blue jean shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Inside the room, Ella's eyes slowly fluttered open. At first she cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, the whiteness of the hospital room around her too bright. After a moment, she slowly opened them and looked over at Sam, who had looked away from her for a moment. "That stupid plan almost got me killed... but at least now I can truthfully say I took on the Jack The Ripper and lived," She said with a chuckle.

Sam looked back over to her quickly, his eyes growing wide. "Ella! I'm so glad that you're okay." he said, squeezing her hand in both of his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently before lifting one of his hands to stroke her cheek. "I'm so sorry… this is my fault. If I had gotten there sooner maybe I could have stopped this."

Oshea smiled a little from the hallway, looking through the window and watching Sam and her sister talking. She turned away, giving them a little privacy and leaned her back against the window, rubbing her temples slowly. She lifted her eyes and glanced down the hallway as Dean walked toward her carrying cups of coffee. "Ella woke up," She said once he had reached her, taking one of the cups from him. "The doctor said that the knife missed all of her major organs and that she should make a full recovery."

"That's good," He said with a nod, glancing in at Ella and Sam through the window before looking back at her. "Is it just me or do we spend a lot of time in hospitals these days?"

Oshea nodded, the smile fading from her face as she stared through the window at her sister and Sam a moment before turning back to Dean. "Dean, there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about," She began slowly. "Bobby and I finally found the ritual we need to close the Pandora's box that released all of the demons and spirits from Hell."

"So how come that sounds like a bad thing?" He asked, looking at her for a moment. "What is it?"

Oshea lowered her eyes. "Because it's some pretty intense stuff, Dean." She said softly. "It has to be performed by the person who opened the door in the first place and it requires both the blood of the opener and demon blood. The opener has to drain their blood and the blood of a demon until it fills up the trench surrounding the pedestal the box sits on. Once that is done, the box will close, but all of the demons that have escaped while the box has been opened do not return to Hell. They are placed into the opener of the box, who must then kill themselves with a holy blade to destroy the escaped demons."

"But that would mean you-"

"Yes, Dean." Oshea interrupted, not wanting him to say the words aloud. She had known about this ritual since they had come to Potlatch, and had only just now gathered up the courage to tell him. "Please, don't tell Ella... at least not until after it's done."

He shook his head. "No, there's gotta be another way, Oshea."

"I've looked, Dean. Bobby and I have looked. I'm not happy about this either," She said quietly. "But it's the only way to fix this."

"No, dammit... just no," He said a little loudly. "You're talking about killing yourself..."

Oshea sighed, finally looking up at Dean. "I caused this, Dean. I opened the door, and I'm the only one with demon blood... the blood has to be given willingly, and no demon is going to do that for us."

"You act like this is all your fault, Oshea, but if you remember, I'm the one who broke the first seal. I started this whole mess. You're not the only one around here carrying all this guilt," He sighed and shook his head, looking down at the linoleum floor. "Look, if you're dead set on doing this, I sure as hell can't stop you. But..."

Oshea lowered her eyes, curving her arms around herself. She was not ready to die again, and she knew this time she would not be going to Heaven. When Dean's voice trailed off, she looked up at him. "But...?"

He hesitated a moment, and then cleared his throat, looking back up at her. "But this is the third time I'm going to have to watch you die. And it doesn't get any easier, watching people I love die."

Oshea's eyes widened as he spoke and her lips parted. Tears gathered in her eyes and quietly spilled down her cheeks. "Oh, Dean...," She whispered weakly, overwhelmed. He had never said anything like that to her before. She stepped toward him and curved her arms around him tightly, burying her face into his shirt. "Dean, I'm scared..." She whispered. "What... what if I can't do this...?"

"Oshea, you've been through more than me and my brother have combined. If there's anyone out there who's strong enough to do this, it's you," Dean said, rubbing her back and resting his head on the top of hers.

"Dean... I need you to promise me something," She said quietly, closing her eyes. "If... if I am not strong enough to do it myself... you... you're going to have to promise me that you'll end it..."

Dean pulled away from her. "What?"

Oshea looked up at him. "You have to promise me that if I can't do it... if I am not strong enough to regain control after the demons possess me... that you will take the knife and kill me."

There was no point in arguing, he knew she was right. "Okay, I promise," He said quietly.

"Thank you," She said with a little smile. She took a deep breath and released it in a quiet sigh, looking through the window toward her sister and Sam. "The ritual should take care of the Ripper as well."

She said with a nod, turning back to look at Dean. "We... we should go and do this now. You can tell Sam where we're going, but... please... please don't tell Ella. She needs to focus on getting better..."

Dean nodded. "I'll wait til they're done talking in there, and I'll tell him. You go set things up... but don't start until I'm there."

Oshea nodded. "The ritual is going to take place where Ella and I were buried. If I remember correctly there is a small house there, I think that's where the box is. I'll be there waiting for you." She leaned up and kissed his lips lightly before she turned and started down the hallway.


	90. I Am The One You Warned Me Of

Sam hesitated as he paused in the conversation he and Ella were having. "Ella... there is something that I have been meaning to ask you, and I want to do it now before... well... before anything else happens." He released her hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small box and opening it to show the ring. "Ella Blackwood... would you make me the happiest man on earth... and be my wife?"

Ella's eyes widened as she looked at the ring and then at Sam, and then back to the ring. After a moment, a smile started to slowly appear on her face "God, yes, you doof," She said before kissing him.

Sam's eyes shone as she said yes, and he gave a little laugh when she leaned over and pressed her lips against his. He deepened the kiss and cupped his hand against the back of her neck. After a moment, he pulled away, the stupid grin still plastered on his face as he placed the ring onto her finger and set the box on the nightstand by the bed. Giving another little laugh, he placed his hands against her cheeks and kissed her again. A nurse stepped into the room and smiled a little, "It's good to see you so... active, Miss Blackwood." She said with a grin as Sam pulled away, blushing slightly. "I need just a moment alone with her, please?" Sam nodded and stammered something about being right outside before he left the room. He closed the door and smiled brightly, running his hands through his hair. Turning, he saw Dean and jogged over to him, grabbing him by the upper arms.

"She said, 'Yes' Dean! Yes! Your brother is going to get married!"

"That's great, Sammy," Dean replied quietly. He hesitated a moment, biting his lip. "Look, you go spend some time with your fiancé. I've got to... go grab us all some food to celebrate. You know how sucky hospital food is," He forced a laugh. "I'll be back in a little while. You gonna be good here?"

Sam nodded energetically the smile not leaving his face. "Don't worry, we'll be fine here." He looked around the hall then back to Dean. "Hey, when you see Oshea be sure to send her in so Ella and I can tell her. It's not often that we have good news to pass along." He chuckled, absolutely beaming. "I'm getting married... oh.. I have to call Bobby!" He clapped his elder brother on the shoulder before he

took a few steps away, pulling out his cell phone.

Dean nodded, his smile fading as he walked from him down the hallway and out of the hospital doors. He didn't know why he lied to him, really. Part of it might've been because he didn't want to ruin Ella and Sam's moment, maybe part of it was because he couldn't get out the words "I'm about to go watch my girlfriend and your fiancé's sister destroy herself and then possibly kill her." He had been thinking it over and over, probably a hundred times, but it still made no sense even to him.

_xx_

_CARTHAGE, MISSOURI_

_xx_

Oshea crossed the field with a shiver, her eyes focusing on the small abandoned building that rested in the midst of the sea of tall, swaying grass. The demon killing knife that she had brought felt heavy in her hand as she walked up the creaking front steps onto the old porch. A loose shutter thudded against one of the broken front windows, and she glanced at it briefly before stepping over the broken door. In the center of the shack was a table with a small open box on the top that resembled an antique music box. It was lined with faded and peeling velvet and a broken figurine was spinning slowly as a warbled, distorted tune drifted from its depths. Swallowing, Oshea padded to the table, lowering her eyes as she saw the deep groove in the floor that formed the trench that she was to fill with her blood. With a sigh, she knelt down in front of it to wait for Dean.

"Thanks for taking me here, Cas," Dean said quietly. He looked over at the small dilapidated home across the field, sick to his stomach from being poofed all the way from Idaho to Missouri, and also because of what was about to happen.

Castiel nodded slowly, looking to the little building. "Of course, Dean." He whispered. "Oshea is inside waiting for you. When it is done, I will come for you." As he finished speaking, there was a very soft fluttering of wings and he was gone.

The loose floorboards creaked underneath Dean's feet as he stepped into the building and walked over to Oshea quietly. Oshea turned and looked over her shoulder toward him. She took in a deep breath and released it in a little sigh, taking the demon killing knife. "Well.. I suppose we should get started." She said softly. She lowered the knife to her wrists and cut into them deeply with a grimace. Setting down the weapon, she held her arms over the trench, letting her blood slowly pour into the groove.

Dean stood to the side and watched, frowning. After a few moments, he had to force himself to look away from all the blood. Oshea chewed on her lower lip, finding that she had to reopen the

wounds every few minutes when the blood started to clot and scab. She soon began to feel dizzy, and swayed slightly where she knelt by the trench. It was then that the haunting music spilling from the box came to a screeching, abrupt end before it snapped shut and locked. Oshea's eyes rolled back a little as her head fell back. A massive dark cloud filled the ceiling of the room then shot down and poured into Oshea's partially open mouth. She immediately stiffened, her eyes growing wide as she lifted her hands to her throat, choking.

Dean's eyes widened as he watched the what seemed like endless black smoke pour into Oshea's mouth. When it finally stopped, he slowly stepped towards her. "Oshea?" She didn't respond, she just sat there, her head down and her eyes closed. He swallowed nervously as he reached his hand for the knife laying on the floor next to her.

Oshea's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she turned her head, letting it hang at an awkward angle over her shoulder. Her eyes were a deep ebony and her lips curled into a smirk. "Naughty, naughty." Hundreds of voices seemed to overlap together as she spoke. "Little boys shouldn't play with knives." Without moving, she Dean flying violently into the wall of the building, kicking up a bunch of dust and causing the old wall to crack slightly.

Dean groaned as he slid down the wall and hit the floor with a loud thud. "Oshea... if you're in there-"

Oshea frowned a little, her brows furrowing. "Sorry, Dean. She can't hear you anymore. I'm afraid we might have overwhelmed her. She could be dead already. After all, she nearly bled herself dry." She chuckled as she kicked the knife away and walked to Dean, grabbing him by the throat and standing him up. She leaned toward him with a wide smile. "Come on, sweetie, give us a kiss..." She pursed her lips.

Dean turned his head away. "Get out of her," He said, gritting his teeth.

She laughed and stepped back. "I'm afraid that we can't do that, Dean. We like this body too much. It's so pretty." Oshea spun in a circle with an echoing laugh, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Besides, now that we have this lovely little meat suit, we can finally get our hands on that angel whisperer sister of hers."

"Stay away from her," He said as he started to try to stand up.

He found himself immediately thrown down again and pinned against the walls. "Sorry, Dean. Playtime is over." She frowned and shook her finger at him. "Now you stay here like a good boy and after I finish with Ella, maybe I'll come back and we can play some more." With that, she turned on her heels and started from the building.


	91. The Good Die Young

Ella sighed with relief when the nurse finally left the room and Sam walked in again. "Where's Oshea and Dean?" She asked, absent-mindedly touching the diamond ring around her finger.

Sam frowned a little as he stepped toward the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "I don't know, Ells. I talked to him in the hall earlier and he said that he was going to run to get us some food to celebrate our engagement." A smile returned to his face briefly before fading. "I haven't seen Oshea since we got here. Maybe she and Dean met up and left together. I think I'll call him. Will you be okay in here for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," She smiled a little. "Just tell them to get their butts back here."

Sam smiled and stood from the bed. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead gently before walking around the end of the bed and pulling out his phone. He stepped into the hallway and dialed Dean's number. It rang for what seemed like ages before he finally heard his brother's voice on the other end. "Dean? Where the hell are you? Ella and I have been worried. Is Oshea with you?"

"Get Ella, and get out. Get out of the hospital as fast as you can," Dean said quickly into the phone.

Sam's brows furrowed and his tone became serious. "What are you talking about? Ella's still in critical condition, she can't just leave... Dean, what is going on?"

"Oshea... she did the ritual, the one to close the last seal. I guess all that research paid off... but it's bad, Sam, it's real bad.." He sighed. "She's possessed.. and I don't mean by one demon. It's a bunch... and she's coming to the hospital to kill Ella. You have to get out of there."

"What?" Sam nearly shouted into the phone. "So that's where you've been? Doing this ritual? You didn't even think to tell me and Ella about it?" He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair and cursing loudly. "Where the hell am I supposed to take her, Dean?"

"I don't know, Sam, just anywhere but there. Do whatever you can, and get out, and call me when you get somewhere safe," Dean said.

Sam sighed and looked down the hall both ways as he stepped backwards toward the door. "Yeah, okay, Dean. Be careful." He said before closing the phone and hurriedly going back into the room. "Ella, we have to go now." He said quickly as he moved to the heart monitor and unplugged it. He then went to her side and apologized before he pulled out the needle of her IV.

Ella's brows furrowed. "What's going on, Sam? What are you doing?"

"I'll explain on the way, just trust me when I say that we have to leave right now." He said as he stepped away from the bed toward the door. He glanced down the hallway and slipped out, walking until he reached a nurse's station where a solitary, pleasant looking woman sat. Sam leaned his arms on the surface of the desk. "Miss? Hi... I'm sorry to bother you, but my grandmother is here for surgery in the morning and she's so nervous she can't sleep a wink. She wants me to take her for a little walk down the hall a ways to calm her nerves. Do you think we could borrow a wheelchair? We promise we won't be loud or disturb anyone."

The nurse looked up at him and frowned thoughtfully, chewing on her lower lip. "I don't know...," She said hesitantly. When she saw Sam's pleading expression, she melted a little and nodded, gesturing toward a chair that was sitting off to one side by the desk. "Take that one and hurry up, okay? I probably shouldn't be letting you do this..."

Sam gave her a tiny smile and nodded. "Thank you so much... you're a lifesaver." He took the chair and wheeled it as fast as he could back to Ella's room. After closing the door behind himself, he moved to her bed and lifted her up carefully before setting her down in the chair and wheeling her from the room, out of the hospital and into the parking lot.

He scanned the parking lot until he found what he was looking for, a convertible Volkswagen Beetle with the top down. He wheeled her to the vehicle and hopped over the door, digging down beneath the steering wheel until he had found the necessary wires. After a few moments of fiddling, the car hummed to life. Sam unlocked the door and climbed out, lifting Ella from the chair and laying her in the backseat. "Just try to relax." He said as he put the top up on the car and peeled out of the parking lot.

_xx_

It seemed like forever before Dean's phone rang again. He was sitting out on the steps of the shack, and Castiel was standing on the porch behind him.

"Hey, Dean. It's me," Sam said wearily as he rubbed his eyes. He had been driving all night, stopping only once at a store to buy Ella some comfortable blankets and pillows to make the backseat of the Volkswagen more comfortable along with the strongest paid medication he could find over the counter. He had pulled over at a small motel and after renting a room, carried Ella, still wrapped in the blankets to one of the beds. He had piled the pillows around her carefully and made sure that she was as comfortable as possible before pulling out his phone to call Dean. "Ella and I are at a place called… the Black Door Inn in Crow Agency, Montana. I was going to go to Bobby's but Ella is in a lot of pain… I didn't think she was up for such a long drive."

"Okay, Cas and I will be right over," Dean said, twirling the demon killing knife in his hand as he stared at it a moment.

"I'm really worried, Dean," he whispered into the phone. "Ella shouldn't be out of the hospital this soon. What if she-" The door to the room suddenly burst open, and Sam's eyes widened as he saw Oshea standing in the doorway. She looked different. Her long, thick hair had been chopped off; the red curls now barely reached her jaw. She was dressed in a short black dress with a plunging neckline and a pair of stiletto heels.

"Hello, Sammy," She said with a smile as blinked and her eyes became black. Sam dropped the phone as he was suddenly flung backwards against the wall. The younger Winchester slumped down to the floor and pushed himself up. Oshea stepped toward Ella, smirking. "Hi, sis. You don't look so hot."

"Stay away from her!" Sam said, rushing toward her. He threw a punch toward her face, but she caught his fist in her hand and gave it a light squeeze. Sam cried out as bones snapped in his hand, and once again he was flung roughly against the wall.

"Don't interrupt, Sammy. The girls are talking."

"What's going on?" Ella asked, sitting up slowly. She looked to Sam, then back at Oshea. "How... how is she possessed.. the tattoo.. she can't be..."

"Sam? Sam?" Dean yelled into the phone. A few moments later he and Castiel appeared in the room. "Get away from her," Dean said from behind Oshea.

Sam pushed himself up, brushing a little blood from his lower lip with his uninjured hand. Oshea laughed softly, "Confused, dear?" She said, looking down at Ella before lifting a hand and tugging down the collar of her dress. The skin at her collar where the tattoo had once been was clear. "There's this little thing called tattoo removal. Your little sis had in done in preparation for this. This, our big moment." She grabbed Ella's throat roughly. "She knew what was coming, and she didn't warn you. Some sister." she scoffed. "Now we're going to take you and use you to get the low down on what is going on Upstairs." Sam started toward her.

"You get your filthy hands off her!" He snapped, only to be violently thrown against the ceiling and pinned there. Oshea released Ella with a jerk and tilted back her head, looking up at him.

"You ever wonder how it felt to die like your mother did? Like Jessica?" A chorus of laughter escaped Oshea's throat. "You're about to find out, Winchester."

Dean's knuckles were white as he tightly clutched the handle of the knife. Without thinking, he stepped forward. "Hey, demon scum," He said, trying to get her attention.

Oshea closed her eyes and gave a little smile. Sam dropped from the ceiling, slamming into the floor. Oshea turned to face Dean, arching a brow. "Now, Dean, is that any way to speak to your girlfriend?" With a flick of her wrist, she pinned Dean to the wall. "Boys, I'd really love to stick around and play, but we have things to do, angels to kill, a world to take over." She turned to face Ella, but instead found herself staring at Joel. Joel reared back and punched her in the face, sending her staggering backwards. A little blood ran down from her nose, and she narrowed her eyes. "You're going to regret that." With a cry, she lurched forward, throwing herself onto the angel. The pair exchanged blows and blood from both of them splattered onto the floor. Oshea punched Joel repeatedly in the face and lifted her foot, kicking him violently in the chest and sending him into the wall by the bed. She stepped forward and grabbed his throat, holding him there. "It's time you went back home." She lifted her free hand and smirked as she began to recite an incantation. Joel shuddered and his brows furrowed as light began to pour from his eyes and mouth.

"Oshea, I know you're in there somewhere," Ella said, stepping forward a bit. "You can stop this, now."

Castiel was standing by Ella, one arm protectively wrapped around her waist to keep her standing. Oshea paused and released Joel, who gasped sharply and collapsed to his knees on the floor, panting heavily. She turned to Ella and snarled. "Stop it!" She said, lifting a hand to strike Ella. She stopped before she could, however, and grimaced. Staggering back, Oshea gave a sharp gasp and began to breathe heavily.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes, which were wide and green. "E-ella... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She whispered, backing away from her. Turning to Dean, she swallowed hard. "Dean..."

Dean stepped forward, his eyes a little wide. He leaned forward and kissed her. He bit his lip and looked away and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Oshea." Oshea closed her eyes as she returned the kiss. She stroked his cheek gently and offered him a sad smile. "It's okay, Dean...," She whispered. "I love you."

As the knife was lifted in the air, Sam stepped to Castiel and Ella, pulling his fiancé into his arms and turning her head toward his chest so she would not have to see. Castiel stood in front of them protectively and Joel slowly rose to his feet. Oshea gasped as the blade pierced her chest and gave a cry. Her body jerked and shuddered as a burning light flickered briefly at the wound and from her mouth. Tendrils of smoke rose from her chest and she swayed.

Ella pulled free of Sam and looked down at her sister's body, tears welling up in her eyes. The room was completely silent for a few moments, until she spoke. "I don't understand... what happened? Why... why did Oshea get that tattoo removed.. what was she preparing for?"

Sam stepped up behind her and rubbed her back gently. Joel took a deep breath and released it in a soft sigh, brushing a little blood from his lips. "Oshea and Bobby found the ritual they needed to close the

door you and Oshea opened when you were brought back to life." Joel began slowly. "The ritual called for a sacrifice of blood and..."

"And apparently the person who gave the blood had to be possessed by a legion of demons," Sam continued for him. Joel nodded.

"All of the demons that escaped from the door that was opened."

Ella's jaw clenched as she tore her eyes away from Oshea, looking back up at Sam. "So... you knew about this? You just rushed me out of that hospital, let me sit around in this motel room, completely oblivious to the fact my sister was about to have herself killed?"

Sam pulled back a little. "Look I had no idea this was going to happen until Dean called me and told me that Oshea was possessed and coming after you. I didn't have a chance to explain, I had to get you out of there before she found you."

"You should have told me..." She said a little quietly, crossing her arms over her shoulder as she turned from them and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She leaned back against the door, and slumped down to the floor, crying quietly.


	92. Can't Smile Without You

_BEAVERTON, OREGON_

_SEVERAL WEEKS LATER..._

Sam Winchester sighed as he walked into their room at the little inn at the edge of the city. They had been driving nonstop for days trying to get as far from Crow Agency, Montana as they could. Though the trip from Crow Agency to Beaverton normally would have only taken about fifteen hours, Dean had driven there in a round about way. There had not been a case to work on, and so they had driven around in a wide arch, not knowing where to go. They had started to go to Bobby's, but after realizing they would have to start explaining what had happened with Oshea, had turned around only a few miles from the elder hunter's house and gone the opposite way. Sam had finally told Dean to pull over before he passed out at the wheel. The inn that he had pulled into was very small and old. At first Sam had thought it was abandoned, but then he had seen the partially drunk innkeeper behind a glass that Sam had at first thought was tinted until he realized it was just filthy. The room had two queen sized beds with faded, old sheets and the naked light bulb flickered above them. A roach skittered beneath one of the beds.

Ella trudged through the door, the makeup around her eyes smudged from falling asleep during the long drive. She dropped her duffle bag by the door and sat down on the edge of one of the beds, starting to take off her shoes. Dean followed behind a few moments later, looking as tired as he had ever been. His eyes were a bit bloodshot from lack of sleep as he walked across the room and plopped down on the faded and somewhat stained old couch pushed against the opposite wall of the beds.

Sam glanced over at Dean with a small frown. He was worried about his brother and his fiancé, too for that matter. Dean had been quiet; he had had to murder his girlfriend after all. She still wore his ring, but since her sibling's death, they hadn't talked about getting married since. He had thought that being engaged would be much more... happy. Slowly, he sat down beside of Ella. She had been a bit distant, and though he understood, Sam was beginning to feel like he was losing to two most important people in his life.

The light bulb flickered and there was a soft knock at the door. Sam frowned and stood up, walking to the door and opening it. In the doorway stood a slender male who was just a little taller than Sam. He looked to be in his late fifties, but he had a handsome, serious face. Pale hair fell in waves down to his jaw. He was clothed in all black: a black turtle necked sweater, black trousers with black dress shoes and a black trench coat. His hands were clasped behind his back. He smiled faintly. "Hello, you are the Winchesters and... Ella Blackwood." He said quietly, glancing over Sam's shoulder into the room. "My name is Jude."


	93. Downside Of Love

The light bulb flickered and there was a soft knock at the door. Sam frowned and stood up, walking to the door and opening it. In the doorway stood a slender male who was just a little taller than Sam. He looked to be in his late fifties, but he had a handsome, serious face. Pale hair fell in waves down to his jaw. He was clothed in all black: a black turtle necked sweater, black trousers with black dress shoes and a black trench coat. His hands were clasped behind his back. He smiled faintly. "Hello, you are the Winchesters and... Ella Blackwood." He said quietly, glancing over Sam's shoulder into the room. "My name is Jude."

Ella looked past Sam and arched a brow. "Who are you- Oh god. Please tell me you're not another..."

"Angel, yes," Jude said, glancing to Ella. He started to step in, but Sam stretched out his hand and pressed it against the frame of the door, blocking the tall angel with his arm.

"Stay away from us, we've had enough of you angels."

It was then that Castiel appeared beside of Jude, frowning. "Sam, he is trustworthy, he-"

"You've said that before, Cas," Sam said with narrowed eyes. Castiel stiffened.

"He is here to keep an eye on Joel, that is all."

"What are you talking about?" Ella asked, standing up.

"Joel has been exhibiting some dangerous... ah... behaviors." Jude said, picking out his words carefully. "I am just here to make sure that he does not do anything that would go against his duty as your guardian angel."

"I do _not_ need a freaking babysitter!" Joel snapped, suddenly appearing in the room and striding toward Jude. "I am fine!"

Jude sighed. "Son, you are walking a dangerous path. I just want to talk to you..." Joel paced a little in the room angrily before vanishing along with the elder angel. Castiel started to step inside, but Sam kept his arm across the door.

"Tell us what is going on."

"I'm not sure if it is appropriat-"

"Tell us now."

Castiel took in a deep breath then murmured calmly. "Joel is in love with Ella."

Ella's eyes widened. "Say what now?" She stared at Castiel. "You're joking, right?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not."

Sam clenched his jaw. "Then you can tell him to stay away from Ella. From all of us." He snapped. This was just too much. He could not handle all of this now.

"Sam," Ella said quietly. "I hate this angel business as much as you do, believe me, I do... but... Joel has helped us out a lot... more times than we can count."

"I don't care!" Sam said, glancing over is shoulder at her. "I'm sick of him tagging along. I should have realized this before... the way he looks at you... " His voice trailed off.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Sam, seriously? Jealousy, really? I thought we were above that."

"Well, I'm sorry. It just bothers me that some supernatural Jo-bro is drooling after my fiancé. Don't you remember what happened when your sister had a fling with something inhuman? I'd rather not go through something like that again." Sam didn't know where this was coming from. He just felt so sad and tired and angry, about everything that had happened. Why couldn't things ever work out for them? People got engaged and married all the time, why did it have to be such an ordeal with him? He just wanted one piece of his life that was normal, but after all that had happened, it seemed like everyone and everything was trying to prevent him from having it.

"You think that I'd actually-? Really nice, Sam Winchester, I'm so glad we have such a trusting relationship," She said, putting her shoes back on and jerking up her jacket from the bed as she moved past Sam toward the door.

Sam closed his eyes and reached for her. "Ella... wait, I..." He started after her toward the door, but she slammed it in his face. He ran his hands through his hair and turned around, glancing to his brother then looking away. What was he doing? He shouldn't be arguing with her, he should be comforting her. She had just had to watch her sister die.

Ella pulled on her jacket walking across the parking lot, and stepped onto the sidewallolk. She walked for about half an hour, her arms crossed over her chest as she finally stopped in the middle of the cracked sidewalk, letting out a quiet sigh of defeat. She looked down at the diamond ring that adorned her ring finger, biting her lower lip. She loved Sam, she wanted to marry him, but at the same time, she realized why most hunters tended to avoid relationships. They either end in death or heartbreak, but for them, it was mostly the death option, which had already happened to her more than she preferred.

She started to turn around and walk back to the motel, and when she did, her attention was caught by a flickering street light a couple yards down the sidewalk.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," The familiar voice came from behind her. Just a few feet away from her, standing on the sidewalk was Joel. He had his hands pressed into the pockets of his trousers. "It's dangerous." He kept his eyes down as he stepped toward her. "I suppose Castiel let the cat out of the bag, huh? You must think I'm... so stupid..."

"No, of course I don't," Ella said, shaking her head. "But I didn't think... I mean, I didn't know.. that angels could fall in love. I thought you guys were like, anti-emotion, or whatever."

"It's different for guardian angels," Joel said softly, looking up at her again with his deep brown eyes. "We are made to be more human so that we can understand the humans that we guard. We understand and feel emotions differently than angels like Castiel. We feel sad..., happy... love..." He smiled a little then rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know why... I just feel a deep connection with you. You are the only person who could ever see and hear me... the real me. The humans I've guarded before. I was never allowed to tell them who I was... Most of the time, I had to stay hidden... do you know what that's like? Never being able to speak to anyone? Always having to live in the shadows... it's lonely is what it is."

Ella shrugged a little. "I can kinda relate. Hunting... it's a pretty lonely job. We can't tell people who we are, what we do, because if we do, we'd get thrown in the crazy place... again," She finished with a chuckle. "After we met Sam and Dean, we thought maybe that would change... maybe we all wouldn't be so lonely. And in a way we're not... but... it's hard to explain," She said, shaking her head.

Joel furrowed his brows a little. "I thought you and your sister were deliriously happy with the Winchesters." He said quietly. "Try to explain... what is bothering you? Maybe there is a way I can help..."

"Of course we're happy," Ella said a bit quickly. She sighed. "I didn't say we weren't, I just meant... a normal life is out of the option for all of us now. The lives we live now... this is what we're going to do until we die... for good. There's no changing that. There's no normal, happy, picket fence, apple pie life destined for each of us. I'm not sure if Sam understands that."

"I think he understands it better than you'd think. At least in his mind, he understands it. I think his heart is just unwilling to accept the fact that he'll never get an actual house with a wife, kids, a dog...,"Joel let his voice trail off. "He's never been the unquestioning soldier like his brother. He's fought his way of live tooth and nail from the beginning." Joel looked up at her. "I think because you are a hunter, because you know the stuff that he is going through and can go through it with him... because he won't have to hide what he does from you, because you can understand him better than anyone... I think that's why he loves you so much, and I think that's why he thinks this could work. No he couldn't have a normal life like he so desperately wants, but he could have some semblance of normalcy with you. The question is... do you want that?"

Ella stared at Joel for a moment, and then looked away. "I do. And I love him. But it isn't that simple."

Joel stared at her a moment, chewing on his lower lip a moment before he burst out. "Ella, what is it about Sam that makes him worthy of you? You're so extraordinary and beautiful and strong... don't you understand how much I love you?" He said desperately. The lights around them began flickering erratically as Joel shed his human guise and stood before her in his true form. His pale skin was luminous and four wings spread out from his back and shoulder blades. He had long, silky black hair and bright pale eyes. His bare feet hovered over the ground as he moved to her and placed his hands against her cheeks. "You're the only one I can be myself around, Ella." he said in a lovely, melodious voice. "I love you so much, Ella... everyone has been trying to tell me its wrong, but I don't understand how love could be a bad thing... I could protect you... so much better than those humans... I could make you happy... Ella, I could take you back to Heaven..."

Ella's eyes widened a bit as he turned into his angel form, but remained where she was standing, staring at him. "Joel... you know I can't do that."

"Why not?" He asked, his brows furrowing as he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "You could come home with me... back to Heaven where you belong. You'd never have to leave again... you could stay with me for eternity... you'd never be hurt or have worries ever again... it'd be like it was before.." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. The light bulbs of the streetlamps exploded and sparks showered onto the road and sidewalk.

Caught off guard, Ella stood still for a few moments. They finally pulled apart, and Ella noticed that Joel had turned back into his normal human vessel. "That was..."

Joel rubbed the back of his neck. "Not what I was expecting," he said quietly, finishing her sentence. He let his hand fall to his side, and he slowly shook his head. "You.. you should go back to Sam." He said with a nod, not looking at her. "He's worried about you... and even though he didn't mean the things he said... he is right. I shouldn't let my feeling interfere with my job... maybe Jude and Castiel are right... I should distance myself for a while."

Ella nodded a bit slowly. "Okay..." She looked down at the ground and then heard the faint fluttering of wings. When she looked up, he was gone.


	94. Other Side Of This Life

When she returned to the motel, she saw Sam sitting on the steps outside of the building. She took a deep breath before letting it out and walking and sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry for storming out like that."

Sam kept his eyes down and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry, too. For the things I said. I do trust you Ella. I'm just..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "My nerves are shot. I'm worried about you and Dean... especially Dean. I've never seen him like this. He's inside pouring over newspapers and going through websites, trying to find a case... but he hasn't slept in days and he's barely eaten anything... I'm just afraid he's going to get himself killed..."

"I'm worried, too. But it's only been a few weeks, Sam. We could go on months, hunting, burying ourselves with cases, and still never get over it," She shook her head. "I know I never will."

"I know... It just scares me to see him like this. He was always the strong one," Sam's brows furrowed. He looked over to her and curled his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her temple before he stood up. "Come on, lets get inside. I'm ready to sleep in a bed instead of a car."

Ella nodded. "Amen to that."

Sam helped her to her feet and walked into the hotel room. "Dea-..." He stopped as he glanced to the computer on the table by the door and found it empty, his laptop still sitting open on its surface, screen faintly glowing. Sam walked over to the computer and leaned over it, frowning as he skimmed the articles that Dean had been looking through. They were all talking about people going missing in Beaverton. "Dean...?" He stepped away from Ella and moved further into the room, looking over the back of the couch then walking to the bathroom. "Dean!" He jogged back to the door, moving passed Ella and looked into the parking lot, cursing. The Impala was gone.

Lynard Skynard's "Saturday Night Special" blared from the car radio as the '67 Chevy Impala roared down the empty back road. His cell phone that was resting on his lap, began to ring, and he flipped it open, putting it to his ear. "Yeah."

"Dean, where the hell are you?" Sam snapped into the phone. "How could you just leave like that without saying anything?"

"Chill out, Sam," Dean said. "I think I found a case... I'm pretty sure we're dealing with a djinn. I'm just checking out a couple places. I figured I could handle that much at least on my own. Besides, you and Ella obviously have some stuff to talk out, and I didn't wanna be at the motel when you two made up and started making kissy faces at each other."

Sam sighed a little and sat down on the end of his bed, rubbing his eyes a little. "I just wish you would have told me first... left a note, anything. I was worried about you... I still am." He paused. "Look, I understand you need some time to yourself and that you want to get back to work and all that, but please be careful okay? Djinn are powerful... I don't want you to get in over your head. Call me if you get into any kind of trouble, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Look, there was one place I passed by a few minutes ago. It's probably nothing, but I'm just gonna go check it out, then head back to the motel," He said before hanging up the phone.

_xx_

It was starting to drizzle as Dean parked the car by the curb in front of a run down, abandoned warehouse, and stepped out of the car, armed with a flashlight, and a large silver blade. He stepped into the dark building, the light from his flashlight bouncing off the glass windows that separated him from the part of the room. Old broken furniture, along with a mildewy smell, adorned the room as he walked through it, glancing around the corner down a hallway, and then turning his head to look behind him, and then back down the hallway. He heard a sudden creaking sound from behind him, and he paused and clutched the knife's handle tightly as he turned around quickly, raising it defensively. But when he turned, nothing was there. He frowned a little and then shrugged, before he was suddenly pushed and pinned against one of the windows. The creature had bright blue glowing eyes, and his head and hands were covered in an intricate black design. Dean grunted as he struggled, but the djinn was stronger than it looked. It pinned him against the glass with one hand, and lifted the other one. His other hand seemed to be engulfed in a black flame. He slowly moved his hand toward Dean, and rested it on Dean's forehead. The elder Winchester's eyes rolled back in his head and then everything went black.


	95. What Is And What Should Never Be

When he awoke, the sun was shining onto the white sheets and comforter that covered the king sized bed. Plush pillows were gathered beneath his head and by his shoulders. The four poster bed was accented with translucent lace drapes that fell from the canopy and spilled onto the floor. The room had an almost heavenly glow as the warm sunlight poured through the pale curtains onto the wooden flooring. The space beside of him on the bed was wrinkled and warm as if someone had been sleeping there. Directly in front of the bed was a white door that had been pulled to, and he could hear the sound of water running. The water stopped, a light switch flicked off, and the door opened. Oshea stood in the doorway, her red hair spilling down over her freckled shoulders. She was wearing only a man's button down shirt, and the collar was drooping over one thin shoulder. She leaned against the doorframe and twisted a little of her hair around her finger. "Good morning, Dean..."

Dean's eyes widened, and his jaw slightly dropped. "Oshea... how...?" His mind suddenly switched back to the djinn... falling asleep... waking up here. They were supposed to be genies in a way... did it really grant his wish? Did it bring Oshea back?

Oshea tilted her head a little, her brows furrowing as she gave him a slightly confused smile. "How... what?" She asked with a little laugh. "You okay, Dean?"

He stared at her a moment before clearing his throat. "Oh.. uh, yeah. Yeah, just a little tired is all... I'm gonna go hop in the shower to get myself woke up," He said, quickly grabbing the cell phone off the nightstand as he stood out of bed and started for the bathroom door.

"Alright," She said with a smile. When he reached the door, she placed a hand on his cheek and stood up on the tips of her toes, kissing his lips gently. After a moment, she pulled away and stepped into the bedroom. "While you're in the shower, I'm going to check on the baby and little John."

Dean stared after her as she walked from the room. He quickly closed the bathroom door behind him as he stepped inside, and dialed his brother's number. "Come on, Sammy.. pick up..."

"Hello?...Dean?" Sam's voice was thick from sleep, and he yawned into the phone. "Dean.. it's ten on a Saturday... you'd better have a good excuse for waking me up."

"Sammy, thank God. Something weird is going on, man," He said, turning on the shower so that Oshea would not hear him talking.

"What are you talking about, Dean? Is something wrong?" Sam said, pushing himself up from his bed a little. "You sound a bit freaked out..."

"The djinn thing... it attacked me, and I woke up in a beautiful house with Oshea and our two children, of course I'm freaked," Dean said frantically.

Sam blinked a little then rolled his eyes and laid back down on the bed, rubbing his temples. "The gin attacked you... Dean, having you been drinking gin? I thought you were going to cut back since-... is that water? Dude, are you in the shower?"

"No I'm not in the shower, you idiot, I just hid out in the bathroom to call you so we can figure out what the hell is going on," He said.

"Dean... its 10 in the morning on a Saturday, my one day off. I want to sleep while I can because once the kid wakes up, I'll not get a moments peace until this evening. You know how kids are. Look, get some coffee and sober up. Spend some time with the wife and kid. Oh, and don't forget, we're going to Sakura tonight for dinner at seven. Bobby already said that he'd watch the kids for us. See you tonight."

He yawned and closed his phone without waiting for a reply.

Dean stared at the phone as he lowered it slowly from his face. He shook his head. This was all too weird... but it felt real. He had wished for a normal life with Oshea once, during all the drama with Jonah. Had the djinn somehow found that wish, and actually granted it? He decided a shower would clear his head a little before he went out and faced his not dead girlfriend and supposed children...


	96. Glimpse Of Home

When he finished his shower and changed into some fresh clothes he had found in the large armoire in the bedroom, he ventured out of the room and down the hall. He stopped in front of one of the doors and peered inside, watching as a small boy at the age of four or five, played quietly with toy racecars and army men. The boy turned and looked up at him with a goofy grin. He looked so much like Dean; his face, eyes, hair... except for the light freckles dotting his face, he was the spitting image of himself at that age.

"John, come on, sweetie, it's time for breakfast." Oshea said as she stepped down the hall toward the doorway. Oshea was wearing a tank top and a pair of Dean's boxers. She was cradling a tiny baby to her chest. Smiling, she looked up at Dean. "You hungry, Dean? I've already fed Mary so I can cook you something." She said, rubbing the baby's back.

At first Dean hadn't realized that she even spoke, he was to preoccupied by the baby that Oshea was holding. It had her red hair, and bright green eyes. He looked back up at her. "Oh.. uh.. yeah, I guess I could eat," He said with a smile. "Here... I'll hold her while you cook," he said, stepping forward a little.

Oshea smiled brightly at him and nodded, handing the baby over to him. The little boy, John, scampered out of the room energetically and rushed down the stairs toward the kitchen. Oshea laughed and turned, starting down the hallway after him. The kitchen was just as lovely as the bedroom; it looked like Dean had stepped straight into a magazine. John was sitting at the table, swinging his little legs over the floor as he ate a bowl of cereal. There were drawings and photos on the refrigerator. Oshea hummed softly as she moved around the kitchen, preparing various breakfast foods. "Can you believe it Dean? We've been married four years today. I can still remember the wedding. It was so beautiful. Who would have thought that Ella and I would marry brothers and have a double wedding? It was just like me and her had always dreamed."

"Yeah, who would have thought..." He said a little quietly as he wandered into the kitchen. He stopped to look at the drawings and photos stuck on the refrigerator door, before sitting down at the table across from John.

Mary looked up at him with wide eyes, lifting her tiny hand to brush against Dean's chin as he held her in his arms. She cooed softly and gave a little smile. Oshea glanced over her shoulder at Dean, her brows furrowing some. "Dean, are you okay?" She whispered, walking over to him. "You seem a little... distracted."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine... I just... I guess I didn't sleep well, that's all," He replied with a reassuring smile. He looked down at the baby as she began to fall asleep in his arms. He had always told his brother he didn't care about having a normal, happy life, rugrats, white picket fence. He had always said they could never have that kind of life. But deep down, he wanted it. After all the people they've saved, didn't they deserve a happy ending too?

He slowly stood from the table. "I'm gonna go put Mary in her crib.. I'll be right back," He said.

"Well, that's a bit understandable... you and I were up pretty late last night," She said with a mischievous grin as she rubbed his shoulders. She smiled and nodded, going back over to the stove to work on the breakfast she was fixing for him. "Alright, Dean. Your breakfast will be ready soon."

He stepped from the room and wandered to the nursery, laying Mary down in the crib. He watched her for a moment before he walked down the hall, looking up at the pictures hanging on the wall. There was a wedding photo of him and Oshea, one of the kids posed next to an older little girl, and then one of Sam and Ella. He passed through the living room and stepped out onto the front porch. There was a nice breeze, the sun was out, and the grass was cut and the perfect shade of green. He looked up and saw a thin young woman standing at the other side of the road. Her eyes were sunken in, her face was pale, and she was wearing a long flowing white dress that was ripped in some places. He arched a brow, watching as she seemed to be staring right at him A car suddenly passed by, and then she was nowhere to be seen. He rubbed his eyes a little as he turned and closed the door behind him as he walked back into the house and to the kitchen, where breakfast was already served, and his smiling wife was standing by the table.


	97. White Lie

Oshea's black heels clicked against the house's wooden floor as she stepped through the hallway toward the living room. She was dressed in a short, snug black dress and her hair had been pulled up into a neat bun with a few curling strands falling against her face. The diamond ring on her finger glistened in the light along with the small diamond earrings piercing her earlobes. It had been a beautiful day. Dean and John had spent the afternoon playing catch with an old softball and gloves. After that, Dean had come inside and took care of Mary, feeding her and playing with her. Bobby had just left with the kids, and Dean had been able to see Sam and Ella's young daughter before Bobby had driven off. Oshea walked over to Dean, who was now sitting on the couch and lowered herself onto his lap, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You ready to go, Dean? It's almost time to meet Sam and Ella at Sakura."

The whole day had felt like an out of body experience to Dean. He felt as if he was dreaming, and that at any moment someone would wake him up. He was happy here... but at the same time, he almost felt like something was wrong. It was almost too perfect. He smiled at her and nodded, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "I love you," He said, and then they rose from the couch and left for the restaurant.

"I love you, too, Dean." Oshea said quietly before they left. When they arrived at the restaurant, Sam and Ella were already there waiting for them. They stood up from their chairs as Oshea and Dean walked over. Oshea smiled brightly as she rushed to hug her sister then Sam, kissing his cheek. Sam smiled and walked over to Dean, giving him a firm hug before sitting down.

"You feeling better, Dean?" Sam asked, looking amused.

"What? Oh.. uh, yeah much better... thanks." He replied, looking down at the menu with a little smile.

The dinner passed by quickly. Sam chatted about his job at a law firm in California and as they were standing by the table talking, Ella surprised the group by giving the news that she was pregnant with her and Sam's second child. Oshea gasped and smiled brightly. "Oh, Ella that's great!" She said with a laugh. Sam looked to his brother. "This was great, Dean. We shouldn't wait so long to get together again."

Dean smiled a little and was opening his mouth to say something when he glanced past Sam and saw the sickly pale woman in the white dress from earlier that day, standing across the restaurant. He stared and quickly pushed by his brother, making his way across the restaurant. A man stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Dean gave him a nudge, but by the time he had gotten past him, the girl was gone. He blinked, looking around, and then turned around. Ella, Sam, and Oshea were all staring at him.

Sam walked over to him, his brows furrowed as he glanced around the restaurant then back to his brother. "Uh... Dean, what is going on with you?" He said quietly. Oshea stepped up to him and touched his arm. "Dean, are you okay?"

Dean looked around one more time before nodding at them. "Yeah.. I just thought I saw someone.. it's nothing," He shook his head. When neither Oshea or Sam looked convinced, he said, "Really, it's nothing. That was a great dinner, Sam, congrats to you and Ella."

After picking up young John and baby Mary, they headed back home and put them to bed. Not long after that, Oshea had fallen asleep, curled up on the couch next to him as he surfed through channels. He briefly glanced down at her with a faint smile, and then back up to the television.

"...And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia Flight 424." Dean's eyes widened a little as he finished taking a sip of beer and leaned forward, watching the news broadcast intently. "Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the passengers and crew who lost their lives..."

"No... no, I stopped that crash," He said quietly.

He stood up from the couch, careful not to wake Oshea, and headed to the computer desk, sitting down as he opened the laptop.

"Nine children comatose... girl drowns in hotel pool... orphanage staff members die of sudden illnesses... " The list went on; everywhere Dean looked, he could find articles of freak accidents, murders, deaths that he and Sam and the Blackwoods had prevented... all of them had happened anyway. He shook his head, sighing deeply. He glanced up from the computer in time to see someone walking out of the room.

He jumped up from the seat and walked into his and Oshea's bedroom, which was dark except for the moonlight coming in through the window. He pulled open the closet door: two rotting female corpses were hanging in the middle of the closet, ropes tied from their wrists. He turned, and saw the woman from before. Her dress was even more stained with blood and there was a large gash above one of her eyebrows. She flickered and then disappeared. He stood there for a moment, and then turned back to the closet, which was now empty aside from his and Oshea's clothes. He took a deep breath, looking around before he quickly threw on a jacket, grabbed the car keys, and went out the door.


	98. Long Way From Home

He didn't know how he knew it, but deep down he already knew both of his parents were still dead. The djinn had only granted his wish of a happy life, it didn't bring his parents back. He drove to the cemetery, where sure enough, there was John and Mary Winchester's headstones. He stood over his fathers and sighed. "All of them... Every one that you saved, every one Sammy and I saved. They're all dead. All because I wished for this... and there's some woman haunting me, I don't know why. Maybe my old life is coming after me, or something. You know?" He shook his head. "Like it doesn't want me to be happy. Hell, I know what you'd say... 'go hunt the djinn. It put you here, it can put you back. Trade your happiness for all those people's lives' right? But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, dad?" Tears started to well up in his eyes. "It's-" But as he stared at the headstone, he didn't finish his sentence. He merely wiped the tears from his face, and walked from the cemetery as rain drizzled and thunder boomed around him.

When Dean came back to the house, Sam was standing outside on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest. He straightened and stepped down to the driveway as Dean opened the door to the Impala. "Okay, Dean. I don't know what is going on with you, but you're scaring Oshea. She called me frantic, saying that she woke up and you were just gone... what is going, dude? Why've you been acting so weird?"

Dean knew what he had to do, and there was no time to waste. He stepped by his brother, leaving the engine running as he walked up to the house, slipping in and out the kitchen door without being noticed by Oshea. He walked from the house, a fancy silver knife tucked in the back of his jeans pocket. He stopped at Sam, who was staring at him, waiting for an explanation. "I.. I'm sorry, Sam, there's something I need to do..." He sighed. "Bye, Sammy." He walked from him and sat down in the Impala.

The passenger door opened and his brother climbed in beside of him, glancing toward the elder Winchester with a deep frown. Before Dean could speak, Sam shook his head. "Whatever stupid, idiotic thing you're about to do, I'm coming with you. You're my brother, and I'm not going to let you just..." He paused as something on the floorboard caught his attention. He picked up the little container and stared at the thick cerise fluid inside. "Dean... what is this?"

Dean glanced at it briefly before putting the car in drive and speeding down the street. "Blood."

Sam's face went a little pale and he shivered. "May I ask... Why exactly you have a Tupperware container full of blood in your... is it human blood?" He asked, glancing over at Dean.

"What, you think I'm crazy? Of course it's not human blood. It's lamb's blood," Dean said nonchalantly.

"Lambs bl...," Sam closed his eyes, looking like he might be sick. He sat down the container quickly and shook his head. "Dean, what is going on with you? Where are we going?" He asked, looking out of the window toward the buildings that were steadily becoming more and more run down as they drove.

Dean glanced from the road to his brother. "You really don't wanna know."

"No, actually I really really really really really do, Dean." Sam said.

"Well, you're gonna find out anyway. I needed a silver knife dipped in lambs blood, that's why I went back to the house. I still needed the knife."

"And you need a knife dipped in lamb's blood because...?"

"Remember I told you earlier about a jinn, then you accused me of being drunk? Yeah, well, there really is a jinn, and I have to hunt it. That's what the knife and the oh so appetizing Tupperware container you're holding is for," Dean said.

"Dean, I really think you've got a screw or two loose... maybe we should go back to your house, I could call someone to come and talk to you." He started to continue, but stopped, his attention drawn to the abandoned warehouse Dean had just pulled up to. He glanced from the building to the Dean then back again. "Dean, you're not seriously going in there are you?" He said as his brother unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Duh, Sammy, I told you I have to hunt this thing. Try to keep up," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Stay close." He said before he grabbed the container, dipping the knife in it quickly before closing the car door and starting towards the entrance of the building.

Sam hesitated just a moment before he cursed beneath his breath and climbed out of the car. The inside of the warehouse was the same as the first time that Dean had visited it. The scent of mildew and decay still hung heavy in the air. As they walked through the building, Sam shook his head, whispering. "See, Dean? It's empty... now let's go back to the car." Just as he got the words out of his mouth, a weak whimper echoed through the warehouse, bouncing off the dark, shadowy walls. Sam's brows furrowed as he followed his brother into a large open room. Two corpses dangled side by side with thick ropes around their wrists and empty tubes traveling from their throats to IV bags. Next to the corpses hung a girl wearing a dirty white dress. Her pale skin was smudged with dirt, and her eyes were half open, staring vacantly ahead of her. Sam's eyes grew very wide and he gave a soft gasp. "Dean..."

Dean quietly shushed his brother and pulled him aside as he saw a shadow of someone walking behind a red curtain. The jinn walked over to the girl as she began to whimper. "Where's my dad? Don't... no... where's my dad?" The creature lifted a hand up to her face.

"Sleep."

The girl whimpered once more before her head lolled over and she became still again. The djinn unhooked the lid from the girl's IV, letting the red liquid drip into his mouth. Sam gave a little gasp of disgust and stiffened as the djinn looked back over his shoulder, his eyes flickering blue and black. Sam fell quiet, clamping a hand over his mouth. The creature hesitated a moment before stepping back the way it had come and disappearing around a corner. Sam stood up from where he was hiding and shook his head. "Okay, Dean, we really have to get out of here."

Dean ignored Sam and walked over to the girl. "She didn't know where she was... she thought she was with her dad... What if that's what the djinn does? It doesn't grant you a wish, it just makes you think that it did." He turned around and glanced around the room. "What if I'm tied up in here somewhere too? What if all this is in my head?"

Sam shook his head and grabbed Dean, giving him a little shake. "Dean, you feel that? You see me? This is _real_, Dean. This isn't some kind of supernatural acid trip, this is _real_. I'm _real_, and that… that thing is real. We need to get out of here before it comes back! I'm sorry I thought you were drunk, but we need to get some help."

"I don't think you are real…" He said after a moment, looking down at the knife in his hand, glancing at Sam for a moment. Sam's eyes widened and he lifted his hands up in surrender, taking a step backwards.

"Dean… wait, wait… just calm down. Stabbing me isn't going to do any good!" He said quickly.

"They say if you almost die in a dream… you'll wake up…" He looked down at the knife before holding it in both hands and pointing the blade towards his stomach.

"Dean! This isn't a dream, and you're about to kill yourself! Stop it, please!"

"No… I'm pretty sure." He paused. "Like ninety percent sure," he said as he started to raise the knife.

"Dean," Oshea stepped from the shadows of the warehouse, holding baby Mary against her chest with one arm and her other hand holding onto little John's hand. Sam sighed, shaking his head.

"Why did you have to keep digging?" Sam whispered as Ella stepped to his side along with their daughter, who stood just behind Ella, her dark hair falling in front of her face. Oshea shook her head.

"Dean, you could stay here… it's better than what you had. Peace, security, love…," She let go of John's hand and cupped her hand against Dean's cheek, stroking his skin with the pad of her thumb. "We could raise our family together… isn't this what you've always wanted? A wife, kids… white picket fence life? You wouldn't have to worry about Sammy anymore."

"We would all be happy," Ella added in. "Sam and I could be happily married… a normal life."

Dean swallowed, staring at Oshea. "I'm sorry."

He thrust the knife into his abdomen, gasping in pain, which quickly turned to a gasp for air as his eyes fluttered open and he found himself in the warehouse. Except now, ropes were bound around his wrists and he was hanging loosely over the ground.

"Dean!" Sam's eyes were wide. "Dean, hey… stay with me, okay?" he said quickly as he eased the IV's needle from Dean's neck. He took the blood dipped knife and began to cut away the ropes. Just before he finished, the djinn stepped up behind him. When Dean said something, Sam turned and swung the knife toward the djinn. The creature grabbed Sam's shirt and flung him into the stairs. Sam's forehead struck the stairs, and he blinked, shaking his head, dazed. The jinn dflipped him onto his back and shoved him down. Blue fire ran over his hand as he reached for Sam's head.

Slightly disoriented, Dean ran and picked up the knife that Sam had dropped, stabbing the djinn in the back. The creature staggered to the side and fell over onto the concrete floor.


	99. Home Is Where The Heart Is

"That's wonderful news. Thank you. Take care." Sam flipped his cell phone shut and tossed it onto the surface of the table before walking over to grab the handles of his duffel bag, handing it to Ella, who was packing up the Impala. "Dean, that was the hospital. That girl that we got out of the warehouse, she's been stabilized, they expect her to make a full recovery." He smiled a bit, but his smile faded as he saw Dean's face. He furrowed his brows and handed Ella the last of their baggage, asking her to wait out in the Impala while he talked to Dean. He gave her a quick kiss before going over to the bed beside the one where Dean sat and sat down across from him. "What about you, Dean? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I just…" Dean sighed, shaking his head. He chuckled humorlessly. "I wanted to stay, Sam, I really did."

"But you got yourself out," Sam said with a nod. "Most people wouldn't have had the strength."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He said quietly, looking down at the ground. He stood from the bed. "So, ready to leave?"

Sam offered him a tiny smile, "Yeah. While you were gone Ella and I were looking up small, out of the way places to… well… to have our wedding." He lowered his eyes, looking a little embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We're going to Sulphur, Oklahoma. It's a quiet place, out of the way, there's a small country church we can go to. Castiel is going to poof Bobby there for us…."

Dean raised his eyebrows a little bit. "Wow… listen Sammy, I know I haven't exactly been supportive you when it comes to you and Ella wanting to get hitched and all. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I'm happy for you," He said with a little smile, though it seemed more of a smile of sadness than happiness.

Sam watched him a moment, frowning a little. "Dean… I'm sorry. This is kind of… insensitive, isn't it?" He said quietly. "Look if you… if you don't want… I mean… I…"

"No, it's alright, Sam," He shook his head. "You and Ella are happy. And besides, how many times am I gonna get the chance to see my little brother get married?"

Sam smiled. He felt terrible knowing that Dean was alone and he was getting married; it was almost like rubbing it in his face. Even so, he could not help but feel happy. He was finally getting a slice of normalcy. "Thanks Dean… you have no idea what this means to me…"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going," Dean said, shoving his brother lightly as he rolled his eyes.


	100. Until The End Of Time

_SULPHUR, OKLAHOMA_

The church sat in a field of tall golden grass that swayed softly in the light breeze. The old fashioned building was built from wood and painted a plain white. The moon was full and shining down onto the field and glistening off of the Impala that was parked to the side of the building. The priest was inside, speaking with Sam, who was still dressed in his street clothes. The strips of fluorescent lighting that were hanging nakedly from the visible rafters flickered as Castiel appeared with Bobby. Castiel was carrying a worn looking box. He stepped over to Sam and leaned over his shoulder, whispering into his ear before leading him away into one of the back rooms. The lights flickered again as Joel and Jude appeared. The elder angel settled down in one of the front pews as Joel walked over to Ella, holding a clothing box. He smiled weakly as he offered it to her. "Thought you might need this, Elly…"

Ella arched a brow as she took it from him. "What is this, Joel?" She sat down on one of the pews and sat the box on her lap, pulling the lid open. Her eyes widened and she gasped quietly. "Joel…"

Inside the box was a neatly folded lace and satin old fashioned wedding dress. The angel smiled a little. "Hurry and change before Sam sees you. From my understanding it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding actually takes place."

Ella smiled. "Thank you, Joel," She smiled, leaning over and hugging him quickly before hurrying off to the other backroom. After she had changed into the dressed, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her smile faded after a moment. She wished her sister was here.

When they were younger, like most little girls they dreamed of each of their weddings. She imagined the gorgeous white dresses, the old fashioned church. But most importantly, she imagined Oshea being there.

The lights began to flicker and buzz as the doors opened and Zachariah stepped into the room followed by a dark skinned slender male, and a young man with shaggy black hair tied back at the nape of his neck and sunglasses. They all were dressed in neat tuxedos. They stepped up to the pews where Jude and Joel were sitting. After exchanging a few words, they sat down together. Sam stepped out of the back room, wearing a tuxedo. He stepped up to the priest and took in a deep breath, releasing it in a nervous sigh. His brows furrowed as he glanced toward the pews on one side of the church. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as a handsome young man with shaggy light brown hair shoved open the doors, the end of a lollipop sticking from between his lips. He gave a little salute and flopped down into one of the seats. The young man smirked, crossing one arm over his chest before snapping his fingers. The room was instantly decorated with flickering candles and draping white ribbons. Pale rose petals lined the aisle between the pews and vases of flowers sat at each end of the altar at the front of the church.

"What the hell…" Dean muttered, standing next to Sam. He turned to whisper to him. "What the hell is Zachariah and The _Trickster_ doing here?"

Sam shook his head slowly, smiling a bit as he looked around the church. "I don't know, but look at this place. It looks great now…"

"Does anyone know how to play the piano?" The Trickster asked, gesturing toward the piano at the front of the church. Jude lifted a hand then stood up and walked to the piano, cracking his knuckles lightly and beginning to delicately tap the keys of the piano, playing the wedding march.

"But still," Dean whispered. "Angels and a Trickster at a wedding… this can't be good."

Upon hearing the music, Ella stepped out of the room, down the hall, and to the main part of the small church. She took a deep breath, and started walking. Her eyes widened a bit as she glanced at the pew where the nicely dressed men were. _Zachariah? Jude? The Trickster? _She continued walking, though suddenly feeling a little nervous. When she reached where Sam and Dean and the priest were standing, however, she smiled, trying to forget the unwanted guests in the back pew.

"It's going to be fine," Sam said softly, trying to reassure himself and his brother.

Zachariah's brows furrowed as she started to walk down the aisle, and he quietly slipped out of the pew, going to her side. He smirked a little as he took her arm gently and began to walk with her down the aisle. As they stepped forward, the angels stood. Joel smiled a little to Ella, though the smile was slightly sad. The priest blinked a little in surprised, but decided not to question the strange people that were gathered in his church. "Who gives this woman away?"

"I do," The elder angel said with a small smirk. He patted Ella's back before placing her hands into Sam's. The younger Winchester brother just stared a little until Zachariah had sat himself down beside of Bobby. The priest nodded and cleared his throat before he began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join together…?" He paused.

"Sam Winchester and Ella Blackwood." Sam offered.

The priest nodded. "Sam Winchester and Ella Blackwood. Is there anyone here who has any reason why these two should not be wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"What in the heck are those guys doing here?" Ella whispered to Sam.

Sam shook his head, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "No idea, but the Trickster's the one who decorated."

The priest continued. "Sam Winchester, do you take Ella Blackwood to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Sam smiled, "I do."

"And do you, Ella Blackwood, take Sam Winchester to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"As long as we both shall live, huh?" She smirked a bit at the irony. "I do."

Sam grinned broadly as the priest nodded. "Then by the power vested in me by the state of Oklahoma, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Sam leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ella's. Ella smiled into the kiss, putting one hand around his neck.

_**A/N: And there you have it, the very last chapter in this story. But don't worry, for those who keep up with this story, a sequel will be put up shortly, because it's already mostly written. This was actually planned to be one whole story… but you would not believe how much we already have written on this at the moment, and we are STILL writing on it, so I decided to split the story into separate parts so it would look less massive and intimidating XD **_


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